Silent Serpents
by Amber ValCepri
Summary: Loki's fall into the Abyss resulted in a different shift in his mind, jarring him out of his destructive state. After his encounter with the Chitauri, he escapes to earth, intent on thwarting their plans. He runs across Tony Stark along the way. M/M, FrostIron, AU twist on the Movie-verse, moved to M to be safe.
1. Prologue

[Author Note/Warning: Attempted suicide in the prologue ONLY. All of my knowledge of the Avengers comes from the movies and what information I have gathered on the internet. This is set in the movie-verse with an AU twist after I spent a day thinking 'What would happen if Loki didn't go completely bat-shit when he fell from the Bifrost?' And then proceeded to spend two hours in the FrostIron tag on tumblr. There are dabbling of information from norse mythology and the comic books as well, but only where the holes needed to be filled in. Otherwise it's all movie-verse. A big thank you to Josh, Rei, and ElrueFaerie for all their support and encouragement as this story took over my life for the past few weeks and caused me to see the movie 4 times for notes... *cough*

**There is torture at the end of chapter seven. It's not too much, but it is somewhat graphic and can be skipped if you are so inclined. However, you will miss a few points on Aiden's character and a realization on Loki's part.**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or it's backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

Prologue

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki's teeth clenched in determination, one hand clutching his bloody side as his feet pounded beneath him, running across the chunks of floating rocks and jumping from cluster to cluster. The deranged creatures, the Chitauri, were after his blood, his head. Or worse, they planned to drag him back to their leader's little messenger, the masked six-fingered freak, the Other.

The fall into the abyss had been unpleasant at best, but it had put certain things into perspective. He had been power-hungry. He realized that now. First his plan had worked and he was proven right that Thor was not ready for the throne, but it all came crashing down around him when his heritage was discovered, crushing any hope that he could measure up to his brother like a normal sibling. Then to be so nicely handed the throne of Asgard barely a moment later and given all the power but none of the respect had been the last straw of his sanity. The realization that he had gone a touch bat-shit didn't change what Odin had done to him by keeping him as some horrific creature forever destined to stand in his so-called brother's shadow. No, he would still not forgive them their trespasses, but he realized that the attempted genocide of his own people (however much he hated them) was just as wrong as Thor said it was.

A shot from the Chitauri's energy weapons to his left jarred him from his thoughts and made him shift instinctively, but instead of moving to the next cluster (an obvious move), he shifted his center of gravity and slid under the rock he had been on and dropped down to the one below.

When he had landed in this barren gathering of rocks he had thought the Other and his animalistic people as barely a threat. He could wipe them out quickly and easily. He had done little to fight them when then came to where he had landed, thus he had been taken for a bit of healing before the Other had made his intentions known.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden Christiansen looked up at the sky, the beautiful blue sky of New York City, New York. He had come to the big city, where his Aunt Helena lived in hopes that it would make the pain a little bit less. The pain of loss. His wife and his daughter, lost to what the authorities were calling a terrorist attack. But he knew better, he was there. The suit had seemed made of metal and molten lava and it had leveled their little town in New Mexico and vaporized his wife and daughter. Yes, vaporized. He had watched them die while he had gotten 'lucky' and had been shot back into the fridge of his restaurant.

Lucky. He about punched the government official that had told him that. If he had been lucky then he would have been able to protect them. Instead, he was just a pathetic human, nothing special. He didn't want anything more to do with this world if it meant that he was stuck here with no possible way to avenge them, to kill whoever had sent that thing, to torment them as he was tormented now. He stepped up on the ledge, dark hair moving lightly across his face as his blue eyes looked down at the cars moving twenty floors below.

~~~/~~~/~~~

He nearly stumbled on the next landing but managed to keep it together, he needed to create the portal just right. It couldn't be open long enough for them to try to get through after him; it had to be small so only he could get through, no extras. He gripped his side tighter, his fingers just barely holding onto the magic suppressor to keep it from activating all the way. The Other had stabbed it into his side just before his escape as a way of making him easier to… handle. He couldn't hold out much longer though, so he was just going to need to chance it. With a movement and a few words he propelled himself off the next bit of rock and straight into a portal bound for Earth.

The moment of free falling that followed allowed his mind to glance back at what had made him run. The Other had shown him the army, a vast force just waiting to take up arms to destroy the Earth and reduce it to nothing but a barren wasteland. Sure, he didn't particularly like humans, he thought they were pathetic and for the most part easily manipulated, but he didn't want them wiped out. The Other had offered him the lead, to take their forces and use them to destroy and enslave the humans that had taken his brother from him, before moving to take back Asgard. He had refused. Then the torture had begun.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden let his arms fan out and he sighed softly at the feel of the chilled fall air across his body, rolling over him and wrapping around him before moving on. It felt good up here, like nothing could touch him. He felt free of the shackles of being human and the pain it brought. Tears brimmed at his eyes as he thought about seeing Melony and Chelsea again, after stealing them from him surely the after-life would not deny him seeing them again.

Looking down he took a deep breath and leaned forward once… Then back. Then again, and this time he didn't go back. He fell forward, the free fall took his breath away and he clung to the thought that this world would be that much better with one less weak little man in it.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki gasped as he came through the other side of the portal and the street of concrete and people came rushing up at him. With the last of his available magic, most of it being tucked away by the inhibitor he could no longer stop, he slowed his fall. He staggered as he landed, wincing at the strain it put on his right leg that had already been weakened by a blow to the knee, but stayed upright. He ignored the humans gasping and quibbling around him and staggered away. He shoved a man aside and quickly moved out of the crowd and limped around the corner of an alleyway before slumping just long enough to get his breath and bearings.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden landed and gave a cry of pain, his head colliding against the ground with a sickening thunk and his left arm, ribs, and right leg screaming at him. His world spun out of control but one thought did register; if he could feel pain, he was still alive. He almost cried just because of that. His only thought was to get up and go back up, to try again. He got to a seated position after some time, pain thrumming through him, before he opened his eyes and froze.

This was not New York. Fuck, this wasn't _earth_! It looked like he was in space, the blackened sky encircling him and stars flickering brightly. He gasped for breath and tried to turn. Too quick, he swayed, but caught himself on his good arm as his vision sloshed about. He swallowed down the bile in his throat and looked up as a shadow fell over him. He stared in shock and disbelief, unable to speak or move at the creature that tilted its head at him.

The masked face looked him over before a toothy, terrifying smile moved over the pale lips and a hissing voice said, "You will do."

He blacked out at that point.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki groaned as fingers pressed into the wound on his left side where the suppressor had been stabbed, then wrenched back with a cry of pain. So far all his attempts at removing the device had resulted in burns, cuts, sharp loss of his abilities that reduced him to an almost human state, and electric shocks that made his body twist in pain. He growled in frustration and forced himself to pull his hand away and leave it alone. The inhibitor wasn't going anywhere, not now at least, and he needed connections. He needed a place to stay, people. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes tightly. He was actually going to have to rely on the pathetic humans of this world.

He didn't have a choice though. So if he was going to find the tesseract, he would make sure the ones he was forced to rely on at least worshiped him, and owed him a debt or several. Straightening himself he cast a light spell to clean away the majority of the blood and conjured something to place in the wound for the time being. He would heal it over once he had a warded building secured. He had left one in Norway some time ago, along with a certain Norwegian gentleman. With a slanted grin he twisted his hand and was teleported away from the glittering light of New York and to the ice-covered region.


	2. Chapter 1

[Author Note: Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. Again, Thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* Also, readers! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feed back.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

Chapter 1

~~~/~~~/~~~

A day in the small hideaway and Loki had his ground beneath him and was finally healed, though a scar remained where the inhibitor was. Apparently the inhibitor even toyed with his healing ability, meaning the Other had been more thorough than he had thought he would be. It had taken time to figure out what he could and couldn't do with it inside of him and manage a spell for the shroud that hid him from Heimdall's eyes that took up as little daily energy as possible. He could not be seen or tracked by any Asgardian or neighboring realm, lest they try to stop him. After he had crafted the appropriate spell, he had gotten in contact with whom he needed. Those scattered few he made sure believed in him and would do as he pleased, and there was a specific one that he had a certain fondness for.

He had found the boy on the slopes of Skogshorn in Hallingdal, Norway some years ago, alone and about to freeze. He had saved the child's life, shape shifting into a fox and leading the boy home. Had the boy been anyone else, he might have just passed him by, but Amund Maes was the son of two of his dedicated followers. He couldn't just leave them hanging. Amund had become a fervent worshiper, more so than his parents, and he pushed the young man to use his money and influence (he had been the son of one of the largest physical and electronic security companies in Norway at the time, now it was the world) to secure an extensive network of followers and intelligence operatives across the world. All under Loki's careful eye.

If he lied to himself, then Amund was a tool, his emotions manipulated to follow him blindly and completely. He was Amund's savior and the proprietor of several connections that pulled the man's company into the world market. Though each success was just as carefully managed with pitfalls and damage control. However, if he was truthful, then he liked Amund Maes best because he was a witty, paranoid bastard, and loyal as a dog. The moment he had appeared in Amund's room the 95-year-old millionaire had practically fallen to the floor in tears, "Really, Amund. Such a position does not suit you."

He gently helped the ancient man (by human standards) to his feet, Amund smiling brightly as he stood, "You play at being kind, my trickster God. Surely you've come to play one more trick on me?"

Loki chuckled, "Were it so easy, I would have already had you… 'glued to the ceiling' I believe the phrase goes."

Amund laughed at that and slapped his knee, "Ahh, but then I should not be laughing, when my Lord is so serious. Why do you come now? Am I to die soon?"

"Death's workings are in the understanding of Hel only, Amund. I come for something different, something delicate. For there are few things I consider evil in this world, but this I do," he explained grimly, though he could already see the blackened edges of Hel's hands around Amund's neck.

Had he his magic, his illusions, he would have just done his normal things and convinced the old man to sign his fortune away to him, but that was impossible right now. He could maintain small changes in his appearance (hair changes, eye changes, etc.) on a regular basis. However he found that prolonged, extensive use of his magic left him physically exhausted within a few hours, especially in maintaining thick illusions and manipulations of the mind, and his shape shifting had been completely nullified. This left him with no choice but to actually trust these humans his once-brother loved so much. He watched the old man closely as his wrinkled features drew close in a furrow and he nodded, "If you think it evil, my Lord, then it must be. What do you need from me?"

"I fear I would ask too much," he lied slightly, the man did owe him for his life, "but I need your assets. What I do must be done under the radar and as discretely as possible."

The smile returned to Amund's face, "Then you have come to the right man."

Loki gave him a proud smile as Amund asked, "I hope I don't cause you any disrespect, my Lord, but I believe setting you up as my son would be appropriate."

Loki raised a brow, then laughed, "It would be very appropriate," and waved a hand dismissively at any further apology.

Amund puffed up happily, "Thank you for this honor! To know that I am able to leave everything I have to you, my God, makes my death easy."

Loki gave him a small nod as the old man picked up the phone and spoke with his secretary, Amilia Hess (Another he had danced into Amund's network quite carefully but ten years ago), and asked her to draw up a new identity, for his son. He turned from Amund to look around the room and smiled as he saw them. A series of four carefully crafted throwing daggers, all imbued with different spells that needed little more than a word or snap of magic to activate. They were dormant, and thus harmless for the moment, but they would wake soon enough. Next to them was a small sphere crowned with his golden horns, a spell holder of sorts, crafted to store spells and magic in. It wasn't anything he ever needed originally, being a God and of limitless magical strength, but now he was ever glad for his endless tinkering for different ways to cause mischief and mayhem. A spell stored in there could be set off from miles away, with no line of sight at all. It had been more than useful when tricking the Warriors three into thinking they…

He pushed the thought aside as his lips pursed into a thin line and he stood and beckoned the relics to him, dusting them off lightly as they floated before him. Perfect condition, he heard Amund end the conversation and hang up the phone behind him, "I'll be needing these once more," he said, glancing back at the man.

"They are yours in the first place. Thank you for the good fortune they have brought me," Amund responded.

Loki hid a small, endearing sigh at the comment, but said nothing else.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony Stark tapped through the world news at his desk, the transparent screen before him flickering through text before he stopped on the headline for Norway with a whistle, "So, old man Maes has finally kicked it?"

"And left everything to an unknown, 'hidden' son, Thomas Loki Maes," Pepper Potts noted to him.

Tony's eyebrows rouse and he laughed, "The old man was a piece of work. A hidden son? Sounds like crap to me. Especially, Loki for a middle name. I mean, come on, really?"

Pepper looked up with a little smile, "You might want to have a look into him. He's quite the interesting man from what I have read."

Tony looked up at Pepper and raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward on his desk, his expression slightly intrigued, "Ms. Potts, are you suggesting I, Tony Stark, should take interest?"

Pepper looked up from her touch pad and raised a brow back at him as she looked over her glasses. She tapped away at her touch pad for a moment, and then set it down for Tony to see, "I'm not saying you should. I'm saying you will, because I know you better than I'd like."

The image before him was of a well-groomed man, probably at least half English, or Scottish, with blond, lightly tinged red curls that were a mess atop his head, brilliant green-hinted blue eyes that almost looked computer enhanced, clean shaven and had a stunning physique. The gray shirt he was wearing hugged the man in all the right places, the leather jacket he wore did very little to hide that, and he had to be around… Six foot, taller? He gave a small hum and said, "When is his next party?"

"That's the thing. The man is almost as much of a recluse as his father, but he's already making infrastructure changes and shifts to the company. Born and bred it seems," Pepper said offhandedly.

"Ouch, no fair, Pepper. You're making me work for the things I want! That's what I have you for!" He complained, putting a hand over his glowing chest in an almost comedic manner.

Pepper grinned widely, "I'm not here to research your conquests in bed. I'm sure you'll find everything you need once you've done your own homework," before straightening and taking back her touch pad, "You have a meeting in five minutes, Mr. Stark. Don't be late," and walked from the room without further comment.

Tony watched her go with a little grin. That woman knew exactly what he liked. He leaned back and hooked his hands behind his head, working out exactly what he needed to find the fraud (because there was no way someone could keep their _kid _hidden like that all his life), or how to get the recluse out of his hovel.

~~~/~~~/~~~

It was a week of mourning and waiting for the news of Loki's appearance as Amund's son to filter through the media before he even began considering public appearances. He had a company to run and an internal intelligence system to set in the needed direction. He already knew how to locate the tesseract, but it would take more than just himself to cast the spell, since the tie to it was currently situated inside of him. A hand fell unconsciously to his side and pressed in to feel the slight bulk of the inhibitor. It was part of the information he had acquired in captivity. Just before they had stabbed it into him the Other had made sure he knew the power it held was that same as the tesseract. Thus it could be used to locate it, and that meant a large-scale scrying spell. He didn't know how much time he had until the Chitauri tried to find another way to activate the tesseract, or maybe find another poor soul to send through in his stead, but he could not remain idle, even when all his pieces were in place.

He removed his hand from his side and began shifting through the papers before him. The stream of 'condolence' notes had begun to trickle away, and now it was all about the parties. Who could get the son of one of the most reclusive millionaires on the planet, who had even hidden his own son away, to come out and play? He was flicking through the invitations, tossing them about aimlessly with a bored look on his face, when Amilia came in. The woman was tiny compared to him, about 5'1" and barely reached his shoulder in high heels, with dark brown hair and sharp brown eyes, her complexion common to her Swedish origin. Despite how he dwarfed her, most people did, he had no doubt that she could strike fear into virtually anyone if she so pleased. She had turned out nicely. Amilia grinned slightly at the flit of envelopes and cards about the god and stepped forward at the motion of his hand, bowing slightly, "I've been in contact with the list you gave me, my Lord. They should arrive at the specified location in exactly 24 hours," her warm voice was perfect for the Norwegian language, though her accent in English was positively stunning.

"Good. Tell me, Amilia," he started, having stopped on a particular invitation for the party of a very interesting American at the end of the week, "Have you ever been to a party thrown by Tony Stark?"

Amilia's eyebrows rouse and she shook her head, "I have not, my Lord."

"Then I suggest you get an appropriate dress, something sleek. I do get a plus one on this," he said, holding up the invitation for her to see.

Amilia blushed a very becoming shade of red and bowed, "Yes, my Lord!"

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony leaned back in his workshop chair as he stared at the plans for the Mark 7 Iron Man suit, growling lightly at them to show his frustration. Well, at least to Pepper it was a clear sign. Perhaps to someone else he just seemed annoyed, but she knew something was off with the plans and that infuriated him. With a smile she stepped forward, touch pad tucked under her arm, "Problems?"

He looked up at her, a hand scrubbing over his scruffy chin, probably a day and a half of stubble there, "Mmm, more than I wanted," then shrugged and put on his customary carefree grin, "So what has you in my laboratory?" He said in the manner of Dexter from Dexter's Lab.

"Well, after the day long hunt for holes in Amund Maes's son's background and the insistence that there was no way a relative could be kept hidden like that by a millionaire, I thought you would like to see this," and handed him her touch pad.

It was the RSVP of Thomas Loki Maes to his showing of the arc reactor and the fact that Stark Tower was now entirely self-sustaining. The smile changed and it became a mix of devious intent and positive glee, "Well that just made my day, Pepper! And deserves a bit of a drink. Hell, it deserves another party in my honor as the most charming gentleman alive! Even through paper!"

Pepper chuckled and pulled the touch pad back as she moved towards the door, "Don't get too drunk, you have a flight to Montreal in the morning."

"Yes ma'am!" He said, emphasizing the last word as he grabbed his scotch and took a heavy drink.

He was about to set back to the plans before him and turn up his music to full blast when Pepper leaned into the lab again and said, "Oh, and, Director Fury wants a meeting. Again. Iron Man."

Tony instantly deflated, making Pepper grin, "I'll set one up for Thursday. Early morning."

"Pepper!" Tony called as she slid away, then groaned, "Build me up and let me down, Ms. Potts!" He yelled after her before scowling at the screen before him once more.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki watched closely as the four hooded figures stepped into the empty warehouse just outside Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria and moved to the ritual circle he had created. Intricate and simple symbols circled the four pedestals and created a secondary circle in the center, where he would stand. Only candles lit the darkened warehouse, so none of them saw him as he stood off to the side, waiting for each to take their place. They were four of his more... questionable followers, but they had the strong ties to earth magic that he needed for the spell to work properly. Each of them took their place before the pedestals he had setup and took out the books he had given them from when he had so cunningly convinced them to follow him, and the daggers he had provided just the night before. He was dressed in a similar hooded cloak that covered his body and head as well, simple obscuring spells made sure his face was completely unseen. With a small flourish he moved forward, "Very good, you are all on time."

Each of them turned and bowed low to the Trickster God's Messenger. That's what he was to them anyway. The direct messenger of their god, descended to Earth to find them specifically for this task. He folded his gloved hands before him carefully as he said, "You all know that the ritual today is an elevation of power for our God, Loki. What we do will feed him the power he much needs to wage battle when Ragnarök comes," he paused for the dramatics, "and that death is a part of this ritual."

Two of the hooded figures fidgeted anxiously while the other two remained perfectly still, "It is a sacrifice that must be made at times, by his followers."

One of the figures that had fidgeted asked anxiously in a high woman's voice, "O-one of us is to die?"

"All of you will need to sacrifice yourselves at the climax of this spell," he said firmly.

The woman that had spoken clutched the fabric of her cloak at her chest shakily. He quickly raised his hands to calm the other three, as they seemed to want to speak their own part, "Your god demands this, but he is kind enough to give you the free will to leave now if you so please-" the figure farthest from him turned, "-but you will forever give up your seat in Valhallah as an Einherjar alongside him, for your cowardice," He spat the last word out like one would a rotten fruit.

The figure froze for a moment, before slowly turning back to him. Loki looked to each one in turn and they each straightened as they visibly steeled themselves for what was to come. One looked down at the dagger and book, before opening it to the appropriate page for the spell and taking up the ornate dagger. Loki nodded, "Then let us begin."

Loki's grin was well hidden as he stepped into the circle and centered himself, the words to the spell already on the back of his tongue as he said, "Now."

The low murmuring words of the four humans around him set the pace for his own, low words as the magic of the earth below their feet began to gather. Within moments the hum of magic hung in the air around them as he shaped it carefully. With a burst it fanned out, racing past the chanters in a blast of what seemed like wind, but they held steady and kept the flow of magic into Loki as he touched the spot where the inhibitor was and filtered the signature through the spell. There was a moment's pause as the spell did its work, before the magic gathered again. It wrapped around him in gentle waves of green that solidified to make a faded replica of the Earth, with a small blue dot in North America, what he assumed was the Sonoran desert. The coordinates were written in his mind by the magic, before his voice suddenly rose over the voices of the four around him, different words spilling from him.

He raised his arms, a dagger pointed downward in his right hand, the four around him followed suit as the globe of green rouse in the air compacting into a ball of light and four winged, armor clad Valkyrie floated down. Each pointed at the human below them, whispers telling them to finish the task. The four daggers fell, the aim of each true and they crumbled to the floor. He watched the light disappear from each set of eyes before allowing the illusion to fall. He took a slow breath as he steadied himself, the weight of exhaustion setting over him like a ton of rocks. He shook it off as best he could and moved between each person, affirming they were dead. He floated up slightly and cleaned away the evidence of him having been there before snapping his fingers and using the last of his magic to teleport to his hotel in Paris.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki landed with a thud as his knees connected with the carpeted floor, having buckled beneath him from using the last of his energy. He winced as he felt the pain fire up his legs. With a frustrated growl he stood and staggered to the bed to drop on it, his body barely holding him upright. A soft knock and the door opened, Amilia's questioning voice filtering through the haze of his mind, "My Lord?"

The Trickster God raised a hand and beckoned her over, forcing himself to sit up and face her. She had a worried look on her face and he glowered darkly at her for it. She took the signal and instantly put her game face back on, "Anything I can get you, my Lord?"

"Yes, take note of these coordinates and get me every last drop of information you can find about it," and listed off them off to her.

She took note of them and bowed, "Will that be all, my Lord?"

"Yes," he said simply.

She bowed one more time and left, heels clicking as she reached the tiled floor of the entry hall. The moment the door closed to his suite Loki collapsed back and let out a breath. He knew where the tesseract was. That was enough for now. The thought allowed him to promptly pass out.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Agent Phil Coulson frowned at the bodies in a circle at the center of the warehouse just outside Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. He raised his hand to press to his earpiece as he said, "It looks like ritual suicide, Director."

Fury's sharp voice came back, "The amount of energy readings we were getting from that spot a few hours ago were off the charts, Coulson. Look harder."

"Yes sir," he said and motioned for his fellow agents to keep scouring the warehouse for anything they could find.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The party was on a Saturday night and it was all to celebrate that Stark Tower was now a fully self-sufficient, clean energy building through and through. Tony moved through the crowd with the greatest of ease, talking to everyone he could get close enough to hear him over the music and various other things. A Tony Stark party was never quiet, never short-lived and always full of surprises. He had already had the crowd squealing at the fire display and the light work that his arc reactor created, and one or two other entertaining shows. Now it was around eleven at night and the one person he had really been intent on meeting had yet to arrive, the notoriously hard to find Thomas Loki Maes. There were people Tony hadn't seen for months, a few years, that came just to meet the man at his party.

Honestly, he was stealing the spotlight and he wasn't even here yet. Tony could only imagine if/when he arrived. With a bright smile he moved over to Pepper and said through slightly grit teeth, "Well this could get embarrassing."

"The only thing it will hurt is your pride, Mr. Stark. And you've got enough of that to not care if a bit of it gets scrapped up a touch," she countered, tossing her blonde hair back over one shoulder.

Tony snorted, eyes skimming over the crowd and what he saw entering the hall made him smile so widely it about split his face, "However, it seems I won't have to worry about that for tonight."

Pepper looked up and a smile touched her lips, "Lucky you."

There was Thomas, smiling widely as he entered the party, a beautiful little brunette on his arm that barely reached his shoulder. He was dressed in a well-fitted suit with a dark green vest beneath it, accenting his normally blue eyes to a green ting. His hair was only mildly tamed, but with the nest of curls that it normally was in pictures, this was a definite feat for the hairdresser. The woman on his arm complimented him gracefully with a smooth, silk, black dress that was draped low in the front to show off the pearl and emerald necklace that settled right atop her bosom and black heels that were tinted green. Her brown hair was done up in a French bun with the excess length pulled over her left shoulder and her makeup was subtle, not overbearing like many in the crowd. Were she not attached to someone as stunning as Thomas, Tony might have considered her for the night's… following activities that he enjoyed so much. As it was, he had other plans.

Tony wove through the crowd expertly practically shoved a few guests aside as he appeared before the couple with a large grin and arms open. Thomas's smile seemed to widen as Tony said, "Thomas! So good that you came! I had almost thought you weren't going to make it," he said with a small pout, playing up his near-disappointment as he reached out to clasp his hand.

Thomas laughed softly as he took Tony's hand for a strong shake, "I apologize for my late arrival, Mr. Stark, but work does not always go as planned. Now please, call me Loki. Mr. Maes and Thomas are such boring names."

Tony laughed, "Then please, call me Tony."

Loki nodded and turned to wrap his arm around the petite woman beside him, "And this is Ms. Amilia Hess."

Amilia inclined her head politely and offered her hand. Tony took it and kissed the pale knuckles, "A pleasure," and gave her a small wink, making her blush.

Loki raised a brow at him, "Stealing my date already?" he jested, smile tugging at his lips and the corners of his eyes crinkling as he attempted to be serious.

Tony puffed up a little and scowled playfully back at him, "I'll at least let you have an hour with her."

Loki laughed and Amilia half hid behind Loki, shaking her head before Tony motioned for them to follow, "You missed the shows, but I can at least give you a more personalized tour of the arc reactor. I'm sure you'll love it."

Loki nodded as he said, "I'm not much of a science man, though."

"Doesn't matter, you have me showing you around, that should be enough cause to love it!"

Laughter rang through the crowd as Tony led Loki and Amilia through the main room and back into the arc reactor's room. These tours had been given earlier with trained tour guides, but he wanted to make sure Loki was welcomed to this personally. Besides, Tony had just showed up every other celebrity, billionaire, millionaire, politician, etc. by getting the man of the month to come to _his _party. He won.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Four hours later saw the party starting to wane slightly, but people were still grooving about, Ms. Amilia Hess being one of them. She had proven that behind those slightly shy eyes she could out dance half the party goers and hold her liquor as well as Tony. However, with her on the dance floor with a muscled up football player that meant that Loki was more than likely still here as well, and possibly off on his own. With a smile Tony peered about and spotted him alone on one of the balconies. He grabbed a scotch for himself and vodka shot for Loki, having seen his hand empty and noticing his preference in drinks, before he stepped outside. Loki turned as he heard footsteps behind him and smiled at Tony, looking down at the shot and taking it with a light laugh, "Don't think I've drank enough, I see?"

"Not nearly if you aren't swooning in my presence," Tony countered as he sipped his scotch, "I must hand it to you, though. You stole the party fast and hard. Not a lot of people can do that to me."

"Oh, I didn't steal anything. They'll be done with the novelty that is a new found secret in about a week or so and move on. You'll always be here to keep them on their toes," Loki said, stroking the billionaire's ego before he tossed back the shot and bit into the slice of lime chaser.

"Oh, but you left an impression, my friend. Even on me," Tony turned to lean against the railing of the balcony and looked over the seemingly oblivious man.

Loki forced down a grin as he felt Tony's eyes wander over him and leaned forward against the railing, making sure he was on full display. Tony raised a brow as his grin widened, realizing with the movement that Loki was a damned good actor. Dark eyes moved over the line of his back, the curve of his ass and bend of his long legs. The man was fuck-able in every sense of the word. Tony's eyes glanced at the remnants of the party and he leaned forward and slipped a guest key card into the younger man's jacket and stood, "I have a long day ahead of me, Mr. Maes. Best to ruin it in the best of ways."

The grin that twitched at Loki's lips was more than just promising and Tony let his own fly free. He may be flamboyant to the tenth degree, but if what he wanted required discretion, then that's what they would receive. With a bounce to his step he left the party gracefully and headed for his penthouse flat to wait impatiently for his evening prize.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony had his slacks and a comfortable t-shirt on, the glow of his arc reactor showing through the fabric as he mixed a kamikaze for the hell of it. He didn't invite men often, it was difficult and always ended the morning after (not that his relationships with women were much different, but may as well keep things uniform), but when he did it sent a certain, unique thrill through him. And how he wanted Loki, sprawled out naked on his bed, silk moving under his skin as…

He cut himself off and just grinned wider. He couldn't get started without the second party. There was a ping as the elevator that led to his penthouse arrived and he moved over lazily, not about to let the younger know how eager he was. He leaned against the back of his couch he folded his arms lazily across his torso, drink in the crock of his arm and waited for the doors to open.

When the doors opened he frowned, as there was nothing where Loki's face should be. He looked down then, confusion moving across his face as a softly smiling Amilia Hess stood there instead. His mouth opened as he tried to pulled together the proper words, but Amilia beat him to it, "I apologize for not being the one you were waiting for, Mr. Stark," and stepped into the room.

Tony rolled his tongue over the roof of his mouth before clearing his throat, "Well, I can't say you're not gorgeous, Ms. Hess, but-"

She held up a small hand to stop him, "No need, Mr. Stark. Mr. Maes apologizes for being unable to meet you tonight. A client of very large proportion to the company is in a bit of… should I say trouble?" She shrugged to dismiss it a second later and held out the card he had placed in Loki's jacket pocket earlier for him to take, "He does hope that the invitation is still open in the future, however now he must attend to business."

Tony hid a sigh as he took the card, "Thank you, Ms. Hess. I appreciate the notion," and forced a smile to her.

She inclined her head politely and moved back to the elevator, stepping in and folding her hands dutifully before her as the doors closed and she began her descent.

Tony stood there for a moment, lips pursed as he glowered at the door, a mixture of confusion and contemplation on his face as he said, "Was I just… stood up?"

For a moment he wondered why it boggled him so much. Sure, he'd been stood up and left waiting before, but this was different. Virtually every other time he had shown very little real interest in them, and they had also been years ago. No one stood him up now, especially not when he had his eye on them so… obviously. With a slow, devious grin he murmured to himself, "Oh, Mr. Maes. It's on like Donkey Kong," and tossed back the last of his drink.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki looked out the window of the top floor of his company's American base of operations. Last night had proved a mixture of successful and utterly infuriating. On the one hand, he knew he could have the mighty Tony Stark in the palm of his hand in less than an hour. On the other the Tesseract was in an underground facility, being tested on and fiddled with by an organization called SHIELD, who had absolutely no idea what they were toying with. Marvelous.

He heard Amilia step into his office, heels clicking in an unsteady manner, "Sir."

He turned at the word and his eyebrows rose at the huge bouquet of flowers Amilia was holding. They covered the tiny woman, only her lower half showing. She moved to the table to the side and set it down with Loki's help, taking a deep breath, "They just arrived, courtesy of Tony Stark."

Loki looked at her in mild surprise, "No doubt his normal thank you for attending his parties, as I have heard."

"Oh no, sir. This is about three times the size of everyone else's. My own included," she said with a gesture to her desk that he could see through the open door.

Sure enough, there sat a bouquet, still large by any standards, but tiny compared to what he had sitting in his office. He shook his head slightly before pulling out the card and pulling it open:

Loki,

Until next time, keep in touch. (555) 848 – IRON.

Tony

Loki couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in his throat. Amilia looked at him in surprise, but quickly hid it, as he shot her a dark glance, "I'll be at my desk, sir," and she quickly retreated from the room.

Loki flipped open his phone and plugged in the number before texting one word, 'Persistent.'

He moved to sit down, but the return text was almost instant, 'I'm told it's a charming quality.'

A shake of his head and he sent back, 'You shouldn't believe everything you're told.'

Again, almost instant, 'Well, you did text back.'

Loki paused, then laughed again, 'True enough.'


	3. Chapter 2

[Author Note: Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. Bits of cussing thrown about and sexual references, because it's Tony. Again, thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* Also, readers! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

Chapter 2

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki looked down at his phone, and resisted a smile at the text, 'Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. –Einstein'

The god countered with, 'And yet, 'Not to unlearn what you have learned is the most necessary kind of learning.' -Antisthenes.'

Over the last month, between the company, working on filtering people into SHIELD, maintaining his own persona, and siphoning magic, spells and raw energy into the sphere relic that he carted about with him, he had gained a small amount of, dare he even think it, Respect? For these sad little, short lived humans. They operated their entire lives on a fraction of the energy and ability he had at all times and yet they moved forward every day with a headstrong persistence that one might call idiotic.

He turned and looked out his window at the coming winter of New York City. He had setup full time shop here after the realization of the location and delicate situation the tesseract was in. He needed to be in a place where he could do something quickly if need be. He already had half a dozen men in the ranks of SHIELD, all carefully placed in regards to the tesseract. The issue was getting someone close to Nick Fury as he only kept the four, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, and two shadows, close. It would be a delicate operation if he tried it at all, and he didn't trust any of his individual operatives to not break under the pressure of being that close to the ex-spy yet. The thought to use Tony had crossed his mind, but Tony didn't play well with others and asking him to do so was against everything the man stood for. Plus, Tony was intelligent enough to notice any play at getting into places Loki shouldn't be. So he had to focus on his main target, the tesseract.

So far he was told the artifact was dormant. No activity but what Dr. Selvig could draw from it. It was comforting to know, because it meant he still had time. He sighed softly and turned to his phone as it buzzed once more, 'Antisthenes. Touché, Maes. I concede, for now.'

Which meant one of three things; a board meeting, Fury was after him again, or Iron Man was out and about. These little text wars with Tony Stark had become a welcomed distraction; even their little luncheons (did one and a half really count as multiple?) were enjoyable. It made the fact that he was just a little pawn whose heartstrings Loki could tug on just a bit easier to cover up. Tony Stark was Iron Man, a billionaire, a weapons expert and a genius. That is a powerful person to have as an ally, a love interest, and considering he had held his attention longer than almost every other creature on the face of the planet, Loki had no doubt that Tony would come running to save or impress him. However, he couldn't string the human along too much more. Tony had his limits and they were coming up.

Frankly, he was surprised the Iron Man had lasted a month. It was impressive, so with a smile he sent, 'What are you doing tonight?'

'Anything with you,' came back and Loki put the edge of the phone to his lower lip thoughtfully.

Where could they go? A grin played on his lips and he sent back, 'Your place? I still haven't been able to see that penthouse of yours.'

'Does this involve me getting laid?' Tony sent back, blunt as always.

'If the food is good and the wine goes perfect with it,' and set the phone down, his grin widening. Wrapped around his pinky, he believed the saying went.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki looked up at the elevator door as it opened. Tony planned for everything, even the discrete lover. After a ride halfway up the building in an elevator that started in the parking lot underneath Stark Tower, he was now switching to the central one for the last of the trip. He stepped into the elevator and shoved his hands into his pockets after realizing there were no buttons and the elevator doors closed on their own before starting upward. He paused, then gave a little smile, having done plenty of research on Tony Stark and his creations, "JARVIS, I take it?"

"Indeed, Mr. Maes," came the computerized voice.

"Nice to meet you," he said politely.

"You as well, sir," the AI answered, an almost surprised, underlying tone. No one but Tony and Pepper talked to the AI.

Loki nodded and waited to reach the top. As the ping for the top level sounded, JARVIS said, "Mr. Stark is in the wine storeroom, Mr. Maes."

"Thank you, JARVIS," he said and stepped out of the elevator.

Loki took a moment to look around and while it wasn't the halls of Odin's Throne, it was modern and sleek. He pulled off his leather coat, revealing the casual clothes Tony had told him to wear. A dark green button up shirt, the top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled up and snugly fitted jeans, a black belt and casual loafers to touch it off. He looked to the right as a shuffle of steps and gentle clatter of glasses came into the main room. Tony Stark stepped in, barefoot, loose jeans held on narrow hips by a belt that's buckle had something engraved or embedded in it, though his eyes didn't linger on it he was sure it was something outrageous, a long-sleeved black shirt that was tugged up slightly on his fore arms and hugged almost every inch of his torso, only to disappear into the top of his jeans, the light of the reactor in his chest barely showing through. It was the barest of moments where they took each other in, admiring, sizing up and gauging. Before Tony held up the two bottles he held, "Cabernet or Merlot?"

"Merlot," Loki said firmly and Tony grinned.

"Agreed," Tony said and moved over to the kitchen counter, setting down the wine glasses and uncorking the bottle, "So, I am assuming the sudden request for a date, was spurred by just how amazing I am."

"It would have been much sooner, but Ms. Hess is a slave driver," Loki admitted, which was partially true.

Loki moved over, tossing his jacket over the back of the couch at Tony's direction. The billionaire pushed the glass of wine towards the god, "Now that sounds familiar," and paused, "It's the high heels isn't it?"

Loki snorted as he took the glass, "One can only guess. But, I'm sure it plays a significant part."

Tony chuckled as he passed the glass he had poured himself under his nose for the scent, "Mmm, this will go perfect."

"With dinner?" Loki assumed, taking a sniff of his own glass, letting the smell invade his head before taking a light sip, "Nicely weighted, smooth, full bodied taste that sits on the back of your tongue, would go well with duck or lamb. Pétrus?"

Tony listened to the seemingly younger man with a slow nod, "You know your wines."

"I am merely an amateur that plays in his free time," he played it off, with a grin.

"Regardless, you've guessed the evening's entrée," Tony said, "however," and moved around the island that separated the kitchen/bar, "that is for later on. Right now, relax," he said, reaching up to give Loki's shoulder a gentle, but firm squeeze.

The touch was specific and Loki knew it, the fingers pressing in a rhythmic motion, once, then twice, loosening the muscles there and making Loki's shoulder drop slightly on instinct.

Tony gave him a smooth grin and Loki turned towards him and the hand slipping from his shoulder. Blunt fingertips canted across Loki's chest and down to wrap around his waist. Tony pulled him close and out of his chair, allowing Loki to raise an arm to cross over Tony's arm and back before his hand hooked around his ribs. Tony pulled him towards the open rooftop but Loki stopped him. With a childish grin he pulled Tony to the arched landing walkway that Tony used when arriving in his Iron Man suit. As they stepped outside Tony let him go, even pushed him forward a bit, to explore, "Be careful. I can get in my suit fast, but not that fast."

"Of course," Loki said, giving a mock, two-fingered salute before he stood out at the edge of the landing circle.

He drank in the cool wind as it moved across him and for a split second he missed his flight abilities. They had always been something he prized, but now had been ripped from him. He tucked away the disappointment and turned back, moving towards a cold-looking Tony, "Oh come now, it's not that cold."

Tony took a long drink of his wine, "Give me a few more drinks and I'll be as thick blooded as you Mr. Viking."

Loki chuckled and countered, keeping with his story, "Only half Viking."

"Oh yeah, British Mother, Norwegian Father," Tony said absently, then shivered again, "All right, Mr. _half_-Viking. While you be a meat-popsicle, I'm getting a damn sweater."

Loki laughed as the human disappeared into the penthouse again and he followed him back inside so he could get to the normal balcony and moved to the set of chairs and table that had been placed there. He had barely sat down, his half finished wine just clinking on the glass table, when his phone went off with a text received. He had told Amilia not to disturb him, so this must be important. He opened the text, one word, 'Breach'. Loki's entire mood shot to the floor and was dragged into the dark recesses of his mind as he considered the implications.

Tony had been coming out of his bedroom, thick sweater now on when he looked up to spot Loki sitting with a very unpleasant look on his face. He knew that face, he got it when something went so wrong with his work, or company plans, that he had to backtrack everything to square one. Loki's blue eyes were sharp as ice and his jaw was clenched tightly, his hand moving to put the phone down before he clenched it into a painful looking fist. Damn, something must have exploded. Tony moved forward and leaned against the edge of the glass door before he said, "Don't destroy my balcony with your eyes, Loki."

Loki looked up, blinking in surprise as he stood, "Tony…" A heavy sigh, "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Tony sighed his lips pursing, for a second Tony looked like he was about to call things off, making Loki feel a touch of panic rise from his belly. His brow-knit together in a worried expression and his mouth opened slightly, about to say something but Tony held up a hand, shaking his head. He pulled the hand back and put a finger to his lips, then pointed at Loki and said, "Next time we cut a date short, it's going to be because I'm getting called away on Iron Man duty. Seriously, I'm the superhero here, but you're the one that keeps leaving me hangin'!" Tony complained with a glare, "I claim three rain checks for this insult," he proclaim vehemently.

Loki looked at him for a moment in surprise, then broke into a huge grin and laughed out right before he moved to Tony, grasped his arm and pulled him forward. Their lips met and there was not asking for entrance that a more hesitant partner might need, their lips met then their tongues moved against, then with one another, acquainting and exploring until there was a mutual need for air. Loki didn't move far, just bare inches away even though their arms had yet to wrap around one another, one of Loki's hands still on Tony's arm. Loki finally said, "I fear this will have to do."

"You should go, cause after that I won't let you out of my bed if you don't escape while you can," Tony practically growled, eyes dark with lust and every dark intention his genius mind could think up.

Loki licked his lips and nodded in understanding, grabbing his phone before moving around the other, snatching up his coat and disappearing into the elevator. Tony took a slow breath, tongue moving over slightly swollen lips for one more taste of the taller man. Yeah, no way in hell he was going to let the evening go entirely to waste.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki's eyes were made of green fire and his expression of stone, his lips pursed together till there was nothing left of them to see as his hands were clasped behind his back and he tore the man before him apart in his mind. If he could do it right now with his bare hands, he would, but this had to be done carefully. The man had been caught attempting to walk out with information on his movements and the information they had on the tesseract. He was a traitor. And a traitor ill dealt with, became a martyr and that was unacceptable. He didn't glance at Amilia or the man next to her, though he knew her face was pinched in a way that spoke of barely restrained rage as her dark eyes dug into the traitor. The fourth man in the room, the one that had caught the traitor, Veli Pekkanen, stood to Amilia's left with a stoic expression. He was one of the operatives that Amund had shown an interest in about six years ago. Now, he was devoted to Loki for giving him to Amund after freeing him of his former masters. The Russian mafia was not known for ever letting their top assassins, bred from a young age after being taken from parents that owed a debt, go easily. It had taken a few heads, a bit of mind play and a few harsh persuasions, but he had plucked the man from their hands and placed him in Amund's. After that he had made sure Amund was careful and precise with the assassin. In return, Veli had, and still was, proving to be a reliable headhunter and spy.

The fire flared and sparked in Loki's green eyes as he began to speak and held up the thumb-drive, "Traitor. Quite an offense you've managed to pick up, Benjamin. What did a pathetic wretch such as yourself think you were doing with this?" before throwing it to the side, embedding it into the wall.

Benjamin stuttered, "M-m-m-my Lord, I swear, I meant no-o-ot to… I was just t-t-t-taking h-home to w-o-rk-"

"Oh, working from home? Oh yes, that makes sense," he nodded, Benjamin quibbled for a moment, trying to run with it, but a swift punch to the face that sent him to the floor shut him up immediately, "How wretched are you to think an excuse like that would work? We know who your contacts are; we know where you were going. _We know_," he snarled, before grabbing the computer hacker by the hair and wrenching him back into a kneeling position.

Loki looked to Amilia and Veli for the barest of moments, a sign that if they wished to leave now was the time. Both remained perfectly still. Loki moved over to the little case to the side where he kept his daggers, sphere and several other pretty little things that he had received, but just retrieved the daggers. He moved back over to the sniveling creature and crouched before him. Benjamin looked up, eyes hazy with dizziness, mouth hanging open and blood running from his nose. He swayed and Loki grabbed his chin ruthlessly, "Oh, no no no, Benjamin. You'll be awake for your death, because you get to choose how you die."

Loki held up the four daggers for the hacker to see and released his chin when he was sure he had his undivided attention. He took one and stabbed it into the wood flooring, "One, poison that is slow and painful," another hit the floor, "two, fire that will burn you from the inside out quickly," another thunk of metal against wood, "three, that will slowly drag the life energy from you until there is nothing left of you," one last stab, "and four, mummification. I don't think I need to explain that one."

Benjamin was shaking from head to toe, as the four daggers floated up and began to move about, switching, twisting around one another, changing spots and flipping around until they came to float before him. Loki was grinning wide like a mad man, white teeth practically sparkling with the same glee that his eyes danced with as he watched the man look between them, terror evident on his face. Loki gave him a moment to look the daggers over and then he said, low and rumbling, darkness coating the single syllable, "Pick."

With resigned fear, Benjamin raised a trembling hand to pick the one on the far right. Loki gave a low, "Oooh," wincing dramatically, making Benjamin's face fall (if it were possible for it to far further than it already had), "Not the one I would have chosen," and it flew into his neck with a flick Loki's wrist.

Benjamin was thrown onto his back by the force of the blow, hands coming up to grasp at the dagger, though no amount of pulling would get the dagger out unless it was by Loki's hand. The god took the three other daggers that remained and carefully put them away before turning to Veli and Amilia, ignoring the writhing man on the floor, "Thank you, Veli."

The man bowed low, "Of course, my Lord."

Loki smiled at him and moved over, a hand grasping him gently but firmly behind his neck, a familiar show of his pride, "You make me proud, Veli. Now do a follow up. I want every scrap of this man's life turned inside out in search of anything that pertains to me."

Veli nodded definitively, eyes going from a warm pride at the praise to a hard determination before stepping back, bowing curtly and leaving the room. Loki looked down at the writhing man, veins of black moving out from the wound and across his skin. Benjamin had chosen poison, a slow and painful way to leave the world, but it was his choice.

Loki moved back over to his desk and looked at the thumb drive embedded in the wall. Rage welled in him for a moment and in a rare show he wheeled around for an upper cut into the side of his desk. The blow sent the solid wood desk up on end and to his grave surprise, froze it in place. Loki stopped cold, refusing to look down at the arm he knew was now blue, instead staring at the frozen, up-ended desk. His heritage picked the most stunning moments to show itself.

There was a long pause, before Amilia spoke quietly, reminding Loki she was still there, "You were merciful," fear mixed with awe as she looked at him, her breath coming in clouds of white in the suddenly freezing room.

Loki raised a brow at her as he tuck his left arm away careful not to draw attention to it, so she continued, "If you wanted to let him squirm through the poison death, you would have cut his arm, or stabbed his belly. As is, he will drown in his own blood before the poison kills him and you choose to unleash your anger elsewhere. I couldn't be so merciful."

Loki gave a low snort, "Thus why I am a God, child, and you are not."

The trickster god moved over to her and settled his right hand on her shoulder. Her eyes looked to him, seeking guidance, "Traitors come and are weeded out by the faithful, leaving them to the fates we gods give them. Such is not a thing to be given out by human hands unless necessary."

Amilia took in the words and nodded, "Yes, my Lord. I thank you, for your trust in me."

"Always, Amilia," he stepped away, "Now leave me."

Amilia nodded and bowed, "Yes, my Lord," and moved out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Loki took a slow shaken breath and raised his left arm to watch as the blue, runed skin disappeared. He looked back at the upended desk again, the ice beginning melt, and a shudder ran through him. Then he looked down at Benjamin in disgust, the man now dead. He needed to get this mess cleaned up and start cleaning up the mess the hacker had made. This would take time and energy.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Amilia had insisted on escorting him home, something about 'feeling protective after such an atrocity against the God of Mischief had been made'. He was honestly too tired to give a damn what the woman was going on about until she started fixing his shirt in the elevator to his high rise apartment, "By Odin woman! Get your hands from me!"

Amilia jumped, realizing she had over stepped herself as she dropped her hands instantly and folded them before her, "I apologize, sir. I will leave you at your hall."

Loki glared darkly at her, knowing something was afoot, but he had found that exhaustion made his thoughts muddled and he had no care to try to drag it from her. Considering he had spent the better part of the evening weaving spells to cover the traitor's death, manipulate his contacts and clean his office, he wasn't going to collapse, but he certainly needed sleep. He stalked forward down the hall after the elevator opened, leaving Amilia behind, and stopped before his door. With a deep breath he opened the door and peered in. Lights were on that he hadn't left on and it sounded like someone was in the kitchen. With a frown he silently entered the apartment and moved down the hall, each step silent as he approached the corner that came around to the kitchen. There was a shuffle of feet, but he had no time to prepare as someone swung around the corner, "Ho!"

Loki jumped back with a quick step and his hands pulled up into fists before him with his daggers just beneath his sleeves, more than ready for a fight. Only to stop and blink widely as he said, "Tony…?"

The Iron Man smiled cheekily at him, eyebrows jumping up, "Miss me?"

Loki's jaw worked for a moment, then things put themselves together in his mind and he laughed at himself for not having seen it. He dropped his fists and straightened, the daggers tucked away once more, "So this is what Amilia was hiding."

"Hey, I thought of it and planned it out. She gets about… 3% of the credit," Tony said, pointing at Loki, matter-of-fact look on his face.

Loki swallowed down his laughter as he smiled at the smaller man. There was a voice in the back of his head that cursed exhaustion in all its forms. Had he not been so tired he would have been able to think straight and figure it out, thus not being surprised. Instead he reverted back to fighting with his fists and daggers (not an entirely bad thing, but something that could blow his cover). Tony held out a glass of wine to him, the same from earlier, "It'll have a bit different taste now that it's had time to breathe," he warned.

Loki took the glass and sipped it lightly before letting out a soft hum, "Different, but still wonderful."

Tony gave a pleased hum and stepped forward, wrapping his free arm around Loki's waist and pulling him towards the dining room table that had been setup, "I had the chef… Ramsey, Puck, fuck, I don't remember his name. He pissed me off, but he's the best in New York. It was made special for us, canard à la rouennaise."

"Oooh, impressive and delicious," Loki said with a light laugh at the exaggerated display of Tony's distaste for the cook, licking his lips.

"Hey, keep that tongue in your mouth till later. I don't want to get jealous of the food," Tony said, leaning in to bite at the tongue.

"I will do my best, as long as you do the same with your teeth," a light grin turning up one side of his lips as he let his eyelids fall slightly, suggestive.

Tony's eyes darkened and he pulled in a controlled breath through his teeth, "Fair enough," and slowly pulled away from the trickster god to take his seat.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony pulled his shirt over his head and brushed a hand through still damp hair. The evening, night, and morning had left him with that little satisfied smile on his lips that rarely happened after a night with a lover. Sure, he grinned and his body was sated, but this was different. Usually it was reserved for when he completed something amazing in the lab, but then Loki was amazing. The man even seemed to know how to give a little praise to his reactor without overdoing it. The last two lovers he had had he ended up kicking out because they seemed to spend every second they had on it. It killed his boner off fast.

He looked over at Loki, who was inside the large walk-in closest picking out his suit for the day. He already had on his gray slacks and button up shirt (though it was only partially buttoned up, enough that he had tucked it in), a gray vest in hand as he looked over his ties. Tony walked up behind him and placed a hand on the blond's lower back and reached around him to pick out the pattern green and gray tie for him, "This one."

Loki smiled at him and took the tie, turning as he draped it over his shoulder, "Dressing me already?"

"Call it a momentary lapse in my manhood. Now, what are you doing next weekend?" Tony asked, keeping close.

Loki thought a moment as he pulled on the vest, "Meeting in Paris, then California to oversea the new office building."

"Hmm, too much. Clear it," Tony demanded.

Loki paused then gave a little laugh, "It's not that easy, Tony."

"I'm the CEO of one of the largest companies in the world. I know exactly how easy it is," Tony said, his other hand hooking onto the other side of Loki's hips.

"I need-"

"Loki, clear your weekend, stop working for three days and come with me to the Bahamas," Tony elaborated, eyebrows raised, waiting.

The god gave an incredulous look to the human, fighting the urge to snap at Tony for cutting him off, "That sounds odd coming from someone who works like you do."

"Then that just means you work too hard. Now, do it, Loki. Clear your weekend," Tony said almost gently as he admired a bite mark that he could see just under the edge of Loki's half unbuttoned shirt.

Loki watched him closely for a moment as Tony's eyes moved back up to his own, before sighing softly and nodding, "All right, I'll talk to Amilia."

Tony nodded with a smile and stepped out of the room, only to come back with Loki's phone in hand. Loki raised an eyebrow, "You don't trust me to do it."

"No," Tony said point blank, "because you've proven you're just like me, a workaholic."

Loki couldn't really argue with that without blowing his cover, so with a reluctant sigh he took the phone and dialed Amilia and quickly told her to clear the weekend. She was surprised, but she did as she was told and cleared it. Loki hung up the phone and Tony quickly took the phone away and tossed it back behind him onto the floor carelessly, "Now, has anyone ever told you just how dashing you look in vests?"

"None as perfectly as you just did," Loki countered, a grin moving over his lips once more.

"Well, I am perfect, but let's emphasize the point," Tony said with a grin as he pulled Loki into a kiss, quickly making sure any protests were lost.


	4. Chapter 3

[Author Note: Holy keyboard-mashing feedback! You guys are beautiful! Thank you so much for the comments, favorites, and watches/alerts! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. Bits of cussing thrown about and sexual references, because it's Tony. Again, thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* Also, readers! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

Chapter 3

~~~/~~~/~~~

One would think Loki would not be partial to heat, even when his heritage had been unknown, an outsider would assume that he would be instinctively repelled from it. It was quite the opposite, though. He loved the heat, especially as the winter sun stared down at them on the front deck of Tony's yacht. They each had their preferred drink, and were enjoying the sun as it set across the open sea. The weekend itself had been relaxing even as Tony and Loki danced around one another in a constant play of words and sex. Fishing, scuba diving, and various other activities were speckled in between, but they were more to distract them, mainly Tony, from a larger issue.

Loki could tell Tony was trying to figure out just how far he wanted to take what they had while Loki continually prodded, if gently, at the casing Tony had made around himself. The billionaire was a surprisingly complicated creature and that fact alone made Loki want under his skin that much more. The trickster god unable to undo a riddle? It didn't happen. However they returned to New York tomorrow afternoon and that left Loki at a bit of a stand still. He needed that little in, that something to grab onto that would let him inside the human's head and heart.

A small sound and JARVIS's voice came through the communicator that was settled just behind them, "Mr. Stark? Director Fury wishes to speak with you, once more."

Tony's relaxed expression changed instantly to annoyed, "And I guess he wouldn't take no for an answer. Again."

"I am sorry sir, but he would not," came the AI's formal reply.

"All right, give me a moment," and moved to his feet with a halfhearted growl.

Loki gave him a concerned and slightly annoyed look. Tony offered him a quick, albeit forced, smile, "I'll call you down when we're done."

"All right. I'll be out here then," Loki said with an understanding nod, letting the annoyance fall away.

Tony relaxed just a touch at the comment as Loki sat back, not about on impose himself somewhere he couldn't be (quite yet), despite the fact that Director Fury had interrupted their weekend four times now. Tony moved away with a long stride and Loki waited. The sun had fallen and the moon hung low in the sky before Tony's slightly tight voice came through the communicator, "Loki, sorry about that. Come on down to the galley."

"On my way," and Loki stood, moving around the deck and down into the galley.

The galley was more of a bar/lounge/TV center than anything else. There was a huge, fully stocked bar to the left where Tony stood, white couches circling a central table and a huge TV that took up the majority of the far wall. Loki moved in, but slowed as he took in Tony. Tony was smiling, but it had that slightly forced edge that meant he was angry about something. He grabbed his favorite scotch and poured a glass, twice as much as he normally did, and promptly gulped down most of it. Loki frowned and let concern show on his face, "Tony? What's wrong?"

Tony made a dismissive wave of his hand and took the last of the scotch and moved to pour another, "Ah, nothing you need to worry about. Just a contro-"

Tony stopped and only watched as Loki, who had moved over to the other side of the bar from him, grabbed the hand with the scotch and forced the billionaire to let go of the bottle so Loki could push it to the side, then took the half filled glass and held it up, "One can seem to tell how pissed off you are, mostly when you are trying hard as hell to hide it, by how much alcohol you drink in a two minute period and the way your lip curls on the left side."

Loki paused and let that seep in, keeping his face neutral though the worry shone in his eyes. He set the glass of scotch to the side as the smile fell from Tony's lips and a mix of pissed off and annoyed fell over his normally happy expression. Tony carefully put the glass cork for the scotch back on, but left it to the side, "So, what do you expect me to do Loki? Spill my soul for you? This is highly classified, government level. I'm a rebel by nature, but I know when I need to keep things quiet."

"I'm not asking for information. I run a security company that works with multiple governments across the world to ensure the safety of anything from diplomats to millionaires and their brat-sized children," Loki folded his hands before him, considering his next words carefully, "But how you are affect by what this Nick Fury is doing is not normal, and I want to help."

Tony looked between the scotch, his hands, and Loki. It was a long tense moment as both of them knew that this could be the turning point from banter to something more. Internally Loki ignored the voice that was chanting something about wanting this too much. It didn't matter, he needed a powerful ally and he wanted it to be Tony.

Taking a slow breath, "To the government, I am a living weapon. They don't have the sanctions for it, but that's still how I look to them. Any politician that you meet will be calculating exactly how they can try to use me. Be it money, Iron Man, weapons, anything."

The god straightened as blue, almost green eyes tracked after Tony when he moved out from behind that bar and came to lean on it next to Loki, "I want Stark Enterprises to be about helping people now though, not creating weapons that destroy. I've seen what weapons do, what they cause and the lives they take," a slow shake of his head, "I'm making sure I'm out of that, that my company is out of it."

Loki gave a careful nod and let his fingers trail across Tony's arm in a comforting manner, "Director Fury is trying to build a cage to hold something. He wants me to go over the plans and find holes in it, or ways to better it. I don't want any of it."

Tony finally looked at Loki, his eyes were strangely raw with a look Loki couldn't quite explain, but he knew what it was all the same. Tony reached up and tapped the arc reactor in his chest, "He's like me, something went wrong with this or that and he came out the other side different. It's been over a year without an incident though, so my argument is that he has it under control and the cage isn't needed."

Loki nodded, "It does sound like it," he said softly, then paused, "You're afraid they'll do that to you too?"

"Terrified of it," he admitted, looking quickly away from Loki, "Throw me in a cage and let me out just to do their dirty work, kill a few people, that sort of thing. If they do it to him, then what's to stop them from doing it to me, except for, well… Me." he said in a low voice as his brow knit, eyes contemplating all the possibilities that would bring about such a situation.

Loki wrapped an arm gently around his waist and pulled the smaller man towards him and off the bar, setting them face to face, "I would say the customary 'I won't let them', but that doesn't quite work, since you are Iron Man."

Tony paused, then couldn't resist a low laugh at that, "The fact that you'd say it anyway makes a difference."

"Well then, I won't let them," he said definitively.

Tony's smile widened and he pulled the god in for a long kiss. It would have lasted longer if they hadn't both heard what sounded like a boat's blow horn and JARVIS coming through the communicator, "Sir, it seems Ms. Potts is here to speak with you."

"Oh good God!" Tony all but yelled as he pulled back from the kiss and dropped his head on Loki's shoulder, "I just want to fuck my lover into the mattress in peace! Is that so much to ask for?"

Loki laughed at the comment, wrapping his arms around Tony for a moment before kissing his temple and releasing him, "Let's go see what Ms. Potts wants."

Tony grumbled darkly, but turned and put on his game face on, "Let them aboard, JARVIS."

Five minutes later and Pepper Potts stood on the deck with a folder in her hands, "You're lucky, I managed to convince Phil to let me bring them. Otherwise, you'd have SHIELD all over him," and looked up at Loki.

Loki's eyebrows rose, "Just because I'm with him?"

Pepper nodded, "Unfortunately," she said.

Tony barely looked over the plans before snapping them shut, "Nope, not happening, same thing he's been bothering me all weekend over. Nope."

Before Tony could give them back to her Pepper pressed them to his chest, "You are contractually obligated to."

"Pepper, you _know_ what these are," Tony snapped.

As Tony had looked over the plans Pepper had shot Loki a sharp look. She and Amilia were similar, though he held much more of an upper hand with Amilia as her God. He knew when there were boundaries that he was still working on getting around though. It was a part of the jigsaw that Tony Stark and those around him were. He stepped back into the galley to wait for them.

Tony shot Pepper a dark glare, "I am not going to do it."

"Stop being stubborn, Tony. I know why you don't want to do this, but there is no way Fury is stopping until you look at them. He and Phil have been all over my phone and in my office. Just look them over, make sure they are safe and _not _weaponized. Please, Tony," she implored him, blue eyes pinning him in place as her hand kept the plans against his chest.

Tony took a slow breath and eventually nodded, "This has ruined my plans for the evening you know."

"Lots of things ruin your evenings, Tony," Pepper said sympathetically before climbing back into the other boat and waving as she left.

Tony came into the galley and set the plans down, scrubbing a hand through his hair in irritation. Loki leaned over the back of the couch for a moment, "This is going to have you all evening, isn't it?"

Tony grimaced, but nodded. Loki stood and poured him a scotch, double the normal amount, and brought it over to him, "I'll be in the bedroom then."

Tony nodded again and took the scotch. Loki took the lack of acknowledgment as a sign to leave, but a hand on his arm stopped him, "Shouldn't I be giving you a rain check?" And finally turned to look at him, "I do like to keep score."

Loki smiled and leaned in to kiss him, "Considering you'll just be down stairs, no. When you're done, we'll make up for the lost time."

Tony's lips widened into a grin at the prospect, light glinting in those expressive eyes, "Good incentive."

"Then hurry up," and kissed him again lightly before sliding out of his hold and disappearing up the deck stairs.

Tony licked his lips, watching those hips move before he took a deep breath and set to looking over the plans.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The weekend in the Bahamas had proven to be the break through Loki had been looking for. Their dates no loner consisted of nothing but banter and sex, though it was still a large majority of it since the two of them did enjoy their banter and coupling. Now it was lined with this second layer Tony had let him under. He now saw the bits of emotion and happenings beyond the arrogant, snarky asshole that was the public image for Stark Enterprises and could see the things that he didn't quite let other people see. Anything from self-loathing fits that had him on the phone for an hour with Tony just discussing anything to keep his mind from spiraling down hill, to seeing a grown man on the verge of squealing (though he never actually squealed) over some new science discovery or dissertation. There were still things he was kept away from, which just meant he needed to be patient. But the spot he was in now had earn him a 'luncheon' with Ms. Pepper Potts.

Pepper had been nothing but formal when things had started. However, the moment they sat down, her expression changed to something hard and determined, "Mr. Maes, I hope you realize the position you are in at this moment."

"I would be snide and state the obvious, but in terms of Tony Stark, yes, I do understand," Loki said with a smile, trying to lighten the woman's mood a little.

A slight smile settled over her lips but he knew it was all for show, "You come out of nowhere and after taking over your father's company, you seem to have stolen the attention of one of the richest and most powerful men in the world."

Loki tilted his head, mouth opening but he made it look like he needed a moment to gather his words, "Should I be explaining myself to you, Ms. Potts?"

"Well, I would like to know how you managed it. I know Tony very well, he doesn't fall for people quickly," she said, folding his hands in her lap and not touching the sandwich before her.

Loki licked his lips as he took the moment to plot his words, "I didn't just magically appear to take over Stark Enterprises, or anything like that, Ms. Potts. Things happened and I have chosen to roll with the punches, as it were. I do not have an agenda tucked away in my back pocket, just for me."

"And yet you got under his skin," she said softly, before her face hardened further if that were possible, "What are your intentions?"

Loki frowned a little, before stating the obvious, "A relationship, companionship, someone I could rely on and give the same to."

"Tony isn't a normal man, Mr. Maes. Not only is he an icon of one of the largest companies in the world, he is Iron Man. He is a super hero. He is loved and hated. If anyone gets wind of your relationship, they will gut you so fast you won't see them running away with your entrails," she snapped, words quick, hard and decidedly ruthless.

"I know," Loki said with no hesitation, "It took me nearly three weeks to decide that it was something I wanted. All the while weighing the options, the pros and cons. I do not enter relationships lightly either, Ms. Potts. I've had one too many tossed back in my face. I've been lied to, led around by the nose only to be back handed and laughed at, the list goes on just as I am sure it does with Tony."

"Then you can understand when I say you need to promise me that you won't hurt Tony," she finally said.

Understanding lit inside of Loki's eyes for a moment. She was being protective of Tony, in her own, motherly fashion. However, he could not meet her promise, not with what the future held. He stood silently, his food completely untouched, "People hurt each other every day, Ms. Potts. I don't want to hurt Tony, but it's not something that can be stopped in a relationship."

He saw her lips purse before opening to say something more but he cut her off, "Have a nice day, Ms. Potts," and turned, silently leaving the room.

Pepper watched him go with a concerned, contemplative look, eyes on the door that had just closed. She had misgivings about the man that Tony was so enamored with, mostly because so much was known, yet unknown about the man. Everything she had found so far had checked out with records, teachers, schools. She couldn't find holes. She sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, knowing she would never be able to talk Tony out of seeing Loki, even if she did have more solid evidence than her gut.

If things did go south though, she would be there to pick up the pieces and find a suitable way of finishing off Thomas Loki Maes.

~~~/~~~/~~~

That same night Loki sat on one of the high stools next to Tony in his New York Penthouse, having just finished off his first hot dog from a local street vendor. The moment Loki had admitted he'd never had one, in answer to Tony's comment about craving hot dogs, the genius had called for 'emergency take out' and had two brought up with all the sides available. Unnecessary in Loki's opinion, but the food had been good and horribly suggestive. It was tempting to skip the little talk Loki had lined up, but this needed to happen.

Wiping the bit of mustard from the corner of his mouth as Tony licked his thumbs, Loki said, "All right, that was pretty good, but I think I can hear my arteries screaming at me in dismay."

He had picked up some of the different idioms of the humans about New York, needing to connect with them a bit more to keep his own dated speech a bit more toned down. The style of speech used on Asgard was vastly different, though the British accent tended to encompass more of what he was used to. He still needed to bridge the gap.

"You just need a tolerance built up. I think my veins built their own, unique arterial plague removal system about 10 years ago," he said, half hiding a burp, "Damn, I should find a way to sell _that_. Once I've figured out how it works," he said jokingly, making Loki chuckle.

The god shook his head a little, before he paused. He swallowed thickly, making it look like he was preparing to talk, but seemed unsure where to start. Tony looked at him in slight worry, "Loki? What's up? You barely reacted to anything I did with that hot dog a moment ago. That's saying something."

Loki gave a slightly exasperated laugh and let his head a little drop before come back up and began, "I had a conversation with Ms. Potts today."

"Ah, Pepper. You really shouldn't worry, she just-," Tony said, not seeming worried at all.

"But I need to know." Loki cut in, "You don't think that I'm here for your money, or the power, or anything like that, do you?" insecurity lined his voice and made his brow arch upward, one a little higher than the other, and in towards one another to display the worry that bubbled in his stomach as his hands worked over one another, picking nervously at his nails.

Tony paused for a moment, seemingly surprised at the direction that the conversation had taken, "No, Loki, I don't think you're here for that," Tony said gently, scooting closer to Loki to wrap an arm around his shoulders.

Loki relaxed a little at the comment, "All right, I mean she would just be lookin-"

"Pepper knows me, Loki. Better than anyone on the face of the planet. She seen what I've been through and been the one to arrive after everything's said and done to help pick the pieces that are left back up and attempt to fit it all together again." There was a short pause as he added, "You'd think I'd have stopped giving a damn after a while…" Tony trailed off almost absently.

Loki's heart dropped (not that far, dammit!) at the last comment as he looked away, taking a long drink of his Appletini to try and draw some form of strength from it. The action seemed to snap Tony out of it and he quickly added, "But I'm glad I didn't," he didn't say anything more but the unsaid words hung in the air.

Loki looked back over at him, looking over Tony's expression. Sharp brown eyes dug into him and put his heart in his throat. He licked his lips and he nodded slowly, "Thank you."

A grin tipped Tony's lips upward as he said, "I think this is the first time I've seen you this nervous, Loki. I'll have to thank Pepper."

Loki let out a little surprised sound and shook his head, "I'd prefer you not! That woman doesn't need to know anything, lest she try to become a secondary Amilia to me!"

Tony laughed boisterously, "So, should I be waiting for a call from your assistant?"

"Absolutely not, I already made it very clear that she stays out of _our_ relationship," Loki emphasized.

Tony pouted and rested his chin on Loki's arm, "Oh, and here I was looking forward to seeing just how terrifying the little set of boobs and high heels could be!"

Loki snorted at that, "You don't want to see it any more that I want to sit through another luncheon with Ms. Potts."

"Hmm, probably not, but the notion that it would happen is strangely satisfying," Tony said with wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Perhaps I should unleash her on you then, just for a taste of it," Loki teased back, turning to nip at Tony's lower lip.

Before Loki could pull back Tony had kissed him and was murmuring against his lips, "Remember what I did with that hot dog?"

"Mmm…?" Was all Loki said, half-lidded eyes smoldering into Tony's.

"Time to use the technique elsewhere," and the movement of a hand across his thigh left nothing to the imagination.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Two weeks later saw Loki staring at his phone and the list of unanswered calls and texts from two days of wondering where the hell Tony Stark had disappeared to. A look of mild annoyance filtered over his face, anger under laying it, as he flicked to his address book. The genius had just randomly stopped answering him in any fashion at all. It was frustrating after everything had seemed to be going so well. He was loath to admit it, but he needed to contact Ms. Potts. Something in the pit of his stomach said he needed to go after this.

With a low, heavy sigh he tapped the contact labeled 'Tony's Mother Hen' and waited for an answer.

"Good Evening, Mr. Maes," Came Pepper's customary greeting.

"Evening, Ms. Potts. I apologize for the call, but is Tony all right?" He asked cautiously, gauging her reaction.

There was a long pause, then a soft sigh, "I'll have a limo by your office in half an hour to pick you up in San Francisco, Mr. Maes. If he isn't even talking to you, then the problem is worse than I thought."

Loki frowned darkly and asked, "What's happened?"

"You'll have to find out when you get to his place in Malibu. I'm not quite sure what happened," she admitted, she was trying to hide her worry beneath the words, but he could pick it up.

He nodded absently, "All right."

Loki hung up and called Amilia in, "Amilia, I want that information Mr. Graves has sent to my personal drive. I need to see to something with another client."

A light smile tipped Amilia's lips and she nodded, "Yes sir."

His eyes narrowed at her, "Amilia…?" She looked to him, eyebrows raised and lips slightly pouting in a show of questioning innocence, "You'd do best to keep your thoughts well trained."

"My thoughts exist only to better serve you, my Lord," she said, then grinned before leaving his office.

He glowered at her retreating back and folded his arm over his chest, but couldn't put his finger on why her look had riled him so.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Two hours later, he sat in the car across from Pepper who had been grimly silent the entire way from the airport. Loki had considered talking to her, trying to figure out why she had brought him here, but something told him he'd get nothing till they got to Tony's house. He expected extravagance from Tony, and he got nothing less. The house was situated on a cliff's edge, far enough away from the lights of LA to be considered out of the way, but close enough to be able to get in the middle of everything when one wanted.

The house itself could encompass three middle-class houses easily, was modern in design and from the cameras and scanners he saw everywhere it was well secured. Pepper led him into the main room then paused, turning to him with a skeptical look, "I hope you don't prove me right."

Loki let his eyes close for a brief moment, an exasperated look on his face. He opened his eyes to and went to speak, but she was already moving away, "This way."

He frowned and followed her as she led him down to the lower level and a glass door that led into what looked like a lab. When she opened the door AC/DC came blasting through at an almost eardrum bursting level and Pepper had to scream at JARVIS to turn it down. There was a fumbling at the far end of what Loki guessed was indeed Tony's lab and a yell of, "Who turned down_ my music_!"

Loki paused, a worried look taking over his face as he stepped inside, Pepper saying after him, "I really don't know what happened, but see if you can knock some sense into him," and closed the door before ascending the staircase once more.

Loki took in the lab, cars to the left, and equipment scattered about a majority of the space except for a few cleared out test areas. There was also a hug pile of what looked like mangled attempts at… something. Wheels, metal joints, bits, pieces, everything that could possible make a mechanical device was there and half destroyed. He looked up as Tony stood up from behind shelf of tools, stumbling slightly and rubbing his temples. He was in a loose t-shirt that was covered in stains, his arc reactor showing through the fabric, there was about three days or so of scruff on his face, and his hair was a disarrayed, oil ridden mess. Tony glowered at Loki for a moment before recognizing him, "Loki? The hell you doing here?"

The god gave a small sigh and he held up his phone, "You haven't answered any of my calls or texts in two days. I got worried. So did Ms. Potts. Enough to bring me over."

Tony grunted, "Two days, it's been two days?"

Loki looked over at the workbench and computer station lined with mugs (some empty, some half empty), empty pots of coffee and glasses that looked, and smelt, as if they had been used for many different kinds of alcohol. Tony probably hadn't slept since he stopped answering Loki's messages, and he was probably drunk. Loki looked back over at the human as he stumbled to his feet and said, "Yes, two days. No calls, not texts, nothing about you on TV and not a word to anyone expect maybe Ms. Potts."

Tony waved a dismissive hand and walked over to him. Tony's eyes were red from exhaustion and bags under them spoke of the lack of sleep Loki had guessed at, "Eh, you guys can survive without the pitiful little arrogant man named Tony Stark for a few fucking days. I'm on the verge of something new here for my new suit. Can't let it go to waste," he said and moved to the workbench, eyes intent on the cold coffee there before he yelled, "Turn the music back up JARVIS!"

The music started to rise and Loki turned, "Turn it back down please, JARVIS," and the AI obeyed.

"Hey, who said you could control _my_ music?" Tony snapped as he turned on his heel to glare at Loki, eyes sparking with anger and lips set in a thin line.

"Since you looked ready to collapse," Loki pointed out, and he wasn't lying.

Only two days and Tony looked a wreck in more than just his appearance, his moves were erratic and Loki could almost hear his heart beating abnormally from too much caffeine mixed with alcohol, a possibly deadly combination in high doses. His heart had to be palpitating and skipping beats like crazy. Tony scoffed at him and said, "Bull shit. I'm fucking fine. Go- go tell Pepper to take you back."

Loki took a cautious step towards the slightly swerving man as he continued, "You've been drinking too…"

"Yeah? So?" Tony asked, a hand reaching out to steady himself on the counter.

"Sir, please allow Mr. Maes to take care of you. Your blood alcohol level is dangerously high with the mix from the coff-" JARVIS started, worry evident in its computerized voice.

"JARVIS!" Tony yelled at the top of his lungs, arms flailing about, "I'm just a mindless spat of a human that's got nothing on the great and mighty 'Captain America', or any of his troops! So who cares how I destroy myself! I haven't spent the two.. three.. oh fuck, years trying to turn around how Obi screwed me over. No, I don't do everything in my goddamned power as Iron Man to-"

He was cut off in his flailing as a very articulate drunk when Loki grabbed hold of him and caught him up in a hug. He held onto Tony, who was now perfectly still, for a moment before saying softly, "Please stop."

It was a soft plea and strange to Tony. When he raved like this people would do all sort of things; yelled back, bar him from his lab, call the cops on him, the list went on. No one ever _hugged_ him. Yet here Loki was, hugging him tightly, just asking him to stop. So, with a deflating breath he answered, "Okay."

There wasn't much to do after that other than feel the train wreck of emotions that he was in the middle of as it came collapsing in on him. He didn't sob or anything noisy or gross like that, it wasn't his style. He leaned his head on Loki's shoulder and a few tears escaped the corners of his eyes before his body, finally seeing its chance, revolted and he wrenched away, covering his mouth and diving for the trashcan. He heaved up the little contents of his stomach that were there, a mix of stale coffee, alcohol, and stomach acid, before sitting back and realizing with a slight grimacing that Loki was sitting next to him with his hand on his back.

Loki, for his part, was reminding himself that walking out was a bad thing to do right now and steadfastly ignoring the part that didn't actually _want_ to leave Tony like this. With a rub of his fingers over the well muscled, slightly shaking back he said softly, "Bed?"

Tony thought a moment, then sad, "Bed. Definitely bed."

Loki nodded and held out a kerchief for Tony (yes, he still used old fashioned things like that) to wipe his mouth with, not trusting the black that encrusted all of the rags and towels in Tony's lab. Loki pulled the billionaire to his feet and gently directed him up the stairs and to his room. With gentle hands Loki went through the motions of getting the now turned inward man cleaned up and to bed. He had done this enough times with Thor over the years in Asgard that this was an easy thing to accomplish with someone as small as Tony. As he got Tony into bed the human pointed up at him, a contemplating look on his half-hidden face, "You're staying."

The statement made Loki smile a little as he nodded to confirm, "Yes, I'll be here if you need me."

Tony nodded and curled around the pillow he clutched. Loki resisted the urge to brush some of the hair from Tony's face and moved back after he heard Tony's breath even out into a sleeping pattern. He stepped out of the room and looked up a little as he spoke, "JARVIS? Was he like that the whole time?"

"Well, he was fine for the first several hours, but when he began to tire… That's when things always start to go a bit down hill," the AI answered.

"A bit? That was a bit?" Loki said incredulously, a disbelieving look on his face.

"I will admit that upon your arrival it was one of the more serious cases, but there are a few that were worse," came the matter-o-fact answer.

Loki gave a little sigh, but nodded as he moved down the hall and to the main room, "How often does this happen?"

"Oh, about once a year or every other year, when something drastic happens. Most often he pulls himself out of it fairly quickly. You and Ms. Potts are the only two that have managed to pull him out of it," the AI explained.

Another nod and Loki filed the information away. He walked over to the kitchen in search of food, frowning darkly as he found none, "Could you call Ms. Potts, JARVIS?"

"Certainly, sir," and a moment later the ring tone to Pepper Potts's phone was heard.

"Hello? Tony?" Came her hopeful voice.

"He's asleep," Loki said, a slight smile touch his lips at her worry.

A sigh of relief was heard, "How bad was he?"

"He started raving at JARVIS for listening to me about keeping the music down and explaining his alcohol and caffeine levels," he offered, hoping that gave her enough to go off of.

"Well, not quite the worst I've heard," she said, her tone still grim.

"So JARVIS was telling me. I would ask if you could get some food brought over? He has none and he's going to be hungry when he finally manages to get out of bed tomorrow and I would like something myself as well," he asked.

She seemed to pause, then asked, "You're staying?"

"Yes. Do you disapprove?" He asked, letting some of his own irritation show through.

A short laugh and she said, "Well, I can't say either way. I still don't like you, but at least you're staying. I'll have the food to you in about an hour."

"Thank you, Ms. Potts," and Loki ended the call before pulling out his own phone to call Amilia, knowing she wouldn't answer this particular line if it wasn't Loki's number.

He put the phone to his ear and waited a moment, "Amilia Hess," came her accented voice.

"Ms. Hess, I will be here for a bit. Did Mr. Graves send over that information on our client?" He asked, the words he used making it obvious that she needed to speak carefully.

"He did, sir. I will have it on your drive within the hour," she answered.

"No rush. I won't be able to look over it till I get back. I want him on Ancient detail again, not for past, but present," he said firmly.

"Yes, sir. I will tell him immediately. Will that be all?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you, Ms. Hess," and hung up the phone.

Mr. Graves was the code name for Veli and 'Ancient' was the code name they kept the target Steve Rogers, or Captain America under. Veli was the only one Loki trusted to watch the individuals that he had come to find SHIELD held particularly tight leashes on. Tony had been the first and most obvious aside from Fury's two shadows, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov. He kept Veli away from them, especially Natasha, as much as possible. The next was Bruce Banner, a man that Tony had alluded to in their talk on this yacht in the Bahamas. Veli had been on Bruce Banner's tail for the last month, studying and gathering information. Now he needed him on Steve Rogers, who had been his previous target. He needed to figure out what the Man Out of Time's motive for hurting Tony had been.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The next morning found Tony in a dark room with a splitting headache. He groaned and rolled over, trying to remember what in the hell had happened. He brought a hand up to rub over his forehead, his mouth was dry and his eyes felt like they were just going to roll out of his head. He turned over again and stopped, seeing something on the side table in the low lighting that could get through his window shades. There was a glass of water, two painkillers and a note. He took up the note and looked it over, 'Take the painkillers and come down when you're ready. I have food. – Loki'

Tony's stomach growled in protest at how empty it was the moment he read 'food' and he groaned again. Then it dawned on him that it had been Loki who had gotten him out of the lab and into bed. He lay there for a moment, just going through the course of events. He remembered pretty much everything, with a few bits of the time before Loki arrived being lost, but for the most part it was all there. Taking a deep, steadying breath he sat up with a wince before taking the painkillers and water and downing both. He took a moment to let it settle in his stomach before he stood. A quick sniff at himself and he grimaced, he smelt like grease, sweat, stale coffee, alcohol and several days of personal hell. He stuck his tongue out in disgust and decided a shower was in order and moved to the bathroom. Once he felt mostly human again he dressed in light clothes and pulled on a fluffy, comfortable bathrobe.

The moment he stepped into the hall he smelt the eggs and fresh bread and his stomach once again made it known that it wanted food. Now. He came around the corner into the kitchen and paused. Loki stood at the stove making eggs, freshly cut and toasted bread to the side with jam on some and cheese on others. Loki looked damn good cooking, slightly bent over the stove, long fingered hands moving deftly as he flipped a few of the eggs over. Tony smiled slowly as he silently moved over to slide his arms around Loki's waist, making him jump, "By- Tony, don't do that!" Loki said with a shake of his head, "I nearly threw this at you!" He said with a gesture at the fry pan.

"Well, then you'd be paying for that medical bill, but I'd probably duck. I'm good like that," Tony said, kissing the joining point of his neck and shoulder that was exposed by the t-shirt he wore.

"A good thing, I don't want to pick that one up, nor do I want it to be how the media finds out about us," Loki countered, "Now eggs, how do you like them?"

"Medium well, sunny-side up," Tony said.

"All right, but you'll have to let me go, I can't move with you attached," Loki explained peering at him over his shoulder.

Tony grumbled softly before leaning up for a kiss then releasing him. A few moments later he had two pieces of toast before him, one with goat's cheese, the other with strawberry jam, each with their own eggs on top. He picked up the first piece and hummed happily at the food as it hit his mouth, taste buds, then stomach. He groaned around another mouthful before swallowing and exclaiming, "Dear god, it's sex in my mouth. I mean, not like a blowjob, but the bread, jam and egg are all having a threesome on my tongue!"

Loki laughed loudly at that as he pieced together his own plate, "It's my favorite breakfast," he left off the bit about how his 'mother' used to make it for him when he didn't want to eat in the main hall.

"I can totally see why," Tony said as he finished off the first piece before beginning on the second.

Loki smiled and moved to sit next to the scientist. For a moment he just enjoyed the food, but when Tony finished off the last piece and sat back, a hand patting his stomach happily, Loki set down his piece and said, "Tony, we need to talk about last night."

Tony's mood changed instantly, lips falling into a grim line and arms crossing over his chest almost like a petulant child, "Would it work if I said I didn't want to?"

"No," Loki said firmly.

The billionaire sighed heavily, and paused for a moment as he thought about what to say. He finally seemed to gather himself, "Just to make sure, you know Captain America, right?"

Loki nodded, "I have heard of him through the newspapers recently and in history class, yes."

Tony nodded, "Well, my Dad, he knew him, loved him, thought he was the most amazing man that ever lived. When I was little I practically worshiped him. He was my hero," Tony brought up a hand to fiddle with his lower lip and the hair of his goatee.

Loki nodded, letting Tony take a moment before he continued, "I got to meet him finally, two days ago. We were… discussing a certain aspect of a recent mission that I had been in on and well… he basically took the time to call me an arrogant bastard who was worth jack-shit compared to a majority of the rest of the human race. I didn't take it too well. He tried to challenge me to a fight, but Fury broke it up and swore up and down he'd have us both 'on lock down' if we tried anything."

Loki let out a slow breath, "Well, you are an arrogant ass."

Tony sneered slightly at that, "Yeah, aware of that."

"However, you are here for a reason, and whether he sees it or not you're doing great things in this world. Your way," Loki said in an attempt to comfort him.

He admitted to himself that that was something he liked about Tony, he was a lone wolf and not afraid to go head to head with anyone he came across. Tony looked over at him and smiled, "Am I?"

Loki titled his head and pursed his lips, "You risk your life every time you put on that suit and you've been working on that arc reactor, something that could bring clean energy to a world that desperately needs it," Loki stopped as he saw that it was having little affect on the man and re-situated himself, "I can go on Tony, but ultimately, you're the only one that can pick yourself up and believe what I say. I believe you are an amazing man now and will continue to be so. Even if you do have a snide, arrogant dastardly side, that's part of who you are."

That got Tony's attention and the warm brown eyes Loki had become so accustom to grabbed hold of him. He could look away but he didn't _want_ to. He could see something in the way Tony held the stress in his body just release and his expression softened for a moment while his shoulders dropped a fraction. Tony raised a hand and passed it across Loki's jaw line and back into the curled strands, "How is it you are so good with words?"

"You're one to talk, Mr. Stark," Loki countered, leaning into the hand.

Tony chuckled and a smile returned to his lips, "I guess I am," and let a thumb trail over the corner of Loki's jaw appreciatively before Loki turned back to finish his food.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki didn't expect the gift that sat on his office table when he came into work several days later. He had been exhausted from dealing with catch up, research on Captain America and where to stick his daggers when he met him, calming down a volatile client with some specific treatment, and setting back Doctor Selvig. The humans could not be activating that tesseract and creating a portal to the Chitauri by accident. He had people in place to make the process slow and the products low, but every now and then Selvig came within an inch of finding something he shouldn't.

Loki turned to Amilia quizzically and she smiled, "Dropped off by Ms. Potts this morning, from Mr. Stark."

Loki's eyebrows rose, as they were very much not in the habit of physical gifts despite what some may think of Tony. Especially not ones that came directly via their assistants. He moved over to the box, feeling it warm in his hand before he tore through the wrapping and opened the box. His mouth dropped open slightly, "By Odin," he said softly.

He pulled out the gift, a small rune covered stone, completely insignificant to any but those that could use them or that knew exactly what they were, a Norn Stone. It warmed and wrapped itself in a small orange glow as he touched it, making Loki smile. It remembered him. He'd had several at his disposal before but had lost them in the fall into the abyss. They must have landed here on earth and Tony had managed to find one, or at least purchase it from someone else. Loki made no secret of his love for Norse mythology and the Norn Stones were known as one of 'Loki, God of Mischief's' items. A softly released sigh of astonishment came from the door and Amilia quickly closed the door behind her to prevent anyone from seeing the display by accident.

Amilia was staring with all the awe of a two year old from behind her touch pad, "My Lord," she half whispered, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes," Loki said softly, "It's one of my Norn Stones."

Loki looked back down and took up the little note that had been beneath the gift he hadn't notice before. It read, 'Thank you for staying. I hope this can express some of my gratitude. – Tony'.

"Oh, I don't think you understand how useful you've proven yourself, Mr. Stark," Loki let a wide, devious grin move over his lips as he said, "Plans are shifting a bit, Amilia. Pull Mr. Graves off 'Ancient' and move him to a new project. 'The Lost'." He held up the stone for reference.

Amilia nodded quickly, "Yes, my lord, immediately," and raced from the room as Loki quieted the stone and with a small satisfied smile, slid it into his pocket.

Already it was taking over the shroud he wore and releasing that extra energy to be used for other things. He pulled out his phone and texted, 'I love it. Thank you.'

'Of course, but thank you, again,' came the answer and Loki couldn't stop the little happy smile that touched his lips, even though he didn't quite realize it was so _happy_.


	5. Chapter 4

[Author Note: Thank you all again for the reviews! I am glad you guys are enjoying it. Thank you so much for the story favorites, and watches/alerts as well! Happy reading!

Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. Bits of cussing thrown about and sexual references, because it's Tony. Again, thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* Also, readers! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

Chapter 4

~~~/~~~/~~~

"I won't be gone long, Tony. You're acting like I'm suddenly disappearing off the face of the planet for a month," Loki chided over the phone at his lover, "It'll barely a week."

"Hey, you might as well be. There's only been two days since we've met four months ago that we haven't been in contact and those were my fault," Tony paused then said in a petulant voice, "Let me be clingy."

Loki laughed at that, "Absolutely not, Tony Stark. Besides, I just have a few things of the old man's to check up on."

"Oh? Like what? Mummified remains? Ancient spell books? Oh! I know! He had an insect collection didn't he? Those are creepy as hell," Tony barraged, making Loki laugh again.

"What have you been reading about my father?" Loki asked, laughter still dying on his lips.

"Oh the gambit of everything. Come on, Loki. Let me come. If anything it will be a get away from certain high heeled women that control our lives," Tony said, the sound of something hitting what must have been Tony came through the phone as he yelled away from the receiver, "Ow, Pepper! You know I still love you and all your controlling-Ow!"

Loki hid his snickering at the interaction before asking, "But what about Iron Man?"

"I'll have my suitcase version along, of course, and Pepper will be in Oslo in case I am unreachable for any reason," Tony countered, "You're out of excuses, let me come."

Loki took a long moment and finally said, "All right. Can you be in New York by the morning?"

"I'll be there by midnight, I need to get a little before hand… relaxation," Tony said, his voice tipping low and suggestive.

Loki grinned, "Just get over here and then we'll talk about relaxation," and hung up the phone and let out a breath, what the hell did he just get himself into?

~~~/~~~/~~~

Across the country in Tony's office the billionaire sent a punch into the air happily, while Pepper shook her head at the enthusiasm her boss showed. If he could only show that for the papers she needed him to sign…

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony stared up at the mansion of Amund Einar Maes as he stepped out of the limo that had brought them_. "Sir, shall I wait for you?"_came the chauffeur's question, though only Loki made it out as it was all in Norwegian.

_"No, Mr. Dullum, we'll be here a few days. I'll call when we are leaving or need to go in town,"_Loki answered in the same language, pulling out his and Tony's duffle bag, tossing Tony his own, and pulling out the Iron Man suitcase last.

"You make this seem like it's camping," Tony said as he caught his own duffel bag, smiling at Mr. Dullum as the older man nodded and dropped into his limo and pulled away from the mansion.

Loki raised an eyebrow at him, "This is the far north, Tony. Storms can come in and take out the electricity and the ability to see your own hand in front of your face before you can bat an eyelash. At some point, we may be 'camping'," Loki explained and waved to the chauffeur as he left.

Tony grunted as he murmured, "Great, dive bombed by snow storms."

The mansion itself was monstrous and ancient looking, but extremely well kept. The length of the building stretched out to the left and stood two stories high, while the main, large hall stood before them on the far right of the building and stretched back behind it. The building looked almost medieval, but the exacting lines of the wood and brick, along with the pristine paint told Tony otherwise. He had seen medieval architecture plenty of times and unless it was a church or castle, it was never even close to this exact. Loki stepped up next to him, "Father loved the medieval architecture, and even built this house after those designs about 40 years ago."

"Ahh, so that's why I couldn't pin down why it bothered me," Tony said in a cloud of white breath.

He shivered as the cold of Norway continued to seep into him. Sure, spring was rolling in for the rest of the world, but just outside the town of Rognan, on Skjerstadfjorden, a fjord that fed into the Norwegian Sea, it was still blistering cold with snowstorms all about. Tony pulled his beanie low and burrowed deep into his long snow jacket and turtleneck, gloved hands shoved into his pockets. He was wearing all the cold essentials, snow boots lined with fake, heavily insulted fur, thermal underwear, multiple layers of sweaters with a thick, long winter jacket, scarf, beanie… but he was still freezing. How Loki was waltzing around in about two layers of sweaters, (from what he remembered seeing the taller put on), thermals and jeans, a jacket, scarf, but no gloves or even a hat was beyond the genius.

Loki glanced over at him and laughed at the glare he was receiving, "Don't glare at me. This is my hometown. I'm used to the freezing weather."

Tony growled low under his breath and stepped closer to Loki in search of warmth. Loki glanced over his shoulder to make sure the limo was gone and wrapped an arm around Tony. The billionaire peered up at him just under the edge of his beanie, "Your father was damned cruel for raising you in this sort of cold. Everyone that lives up here must just be fucking masochistic!"

Loki shook his head after a bit of laughter, "All right then, lets get inside and I'll set up a fire place for you."

"No heaters?" Tony said, wide eyed and dismayed.

"No Tony, I told you this on the phone when you were trying to convince me to let you come. No heaters. There's electricity, but only what the town is willing to spare and the lines for electricity go down all the time. My father believed very much in being self-dependent. There's a generator I can kick on at any point, but it's only for an emergency," Loki pointed out, watching Tony's face fall.

"I thought you were just joking or trying to put me off," Tony said with a sigh and a pout as he looked up at the looming mansion once more.

Loki squeezed Tony's shoulder, "You can still go back to the hotel in Rognan, if you'd like."

Tony's look changed instantly to that of determination and he shook his head, "Pfft, defeats the purposes of this trip. Open 'er up!"

Loki sighed, he had been trying the entire trip to put Tony off, but the human was having none of it. In an annoying manner it reminded him of his once-brother's determination, but he quickly brushed the thought aside as he pulled out the keys and moved forward. He unlocked the door, scanned his iris and thumb and only then did the door open. Tony's look could be described in three words, 'Are you serious?'

Loki shrugged at his companion and stepped inside. He flicked on his flashlight to find the light switch and sighed in relief as the lights flicked on and revealed the interior. A high vaulted ceiling that housed a glittering chandelier cast enough light for anyone to see anything in the main hall, but seemed low in its setting. Tony looked to his left where a long hall stretched out, lined with mirrors, little tables, lamps, paintings, and at the end were a set of large double doors, probably the master room. Just after the hall was a steep stairwell that led to a large platform and what had to be another hallway of rooms. Looking straight ahead from the front doors the room branched off into what looked to be a communal room, light coming in from multiple windows, then a dining room and a kitchen, and probably more rooms, probably for the hired help, beyond that.

"Huh, and you grew up here?" Tony asked, wondering if it was this dank and ghastly looking when Loki had been here as a child.

"Only partly. I spent 7 months of the year with my mother, and 5 with my father. After my mother passed when I was 12 I came to live here full time though," Loki explained, removing his boots.

Tony followed suit, shivering as his now unprotected feet touched the cold wood and rug floors, the socks he wore not nearly enough, "Was it always this… haunted looking? It's not haunted is it?" Tony said, looking at Loki in playful trepidation.

"It's always looked like this, but the only person that would actually haunt this place would be my father. He's the only person I know of dying here," Loki's eyes tracked across the halls and rooms for a moment, a strange look on his face, before moving towards the staircase, "Come on, we can stay in my old room. That's the one I had the caretakers do the most cleaning in and it will be the fastest to get a fire going."

"Do all the rooms have fire places?" Tony asked as he followed after Loki, his own duffel bag on his shoulder still, leaving the suitcase tucked off to the side, hidden by furniture and drapes.

"No, just my father's and the two above it," Loki explained over his shoulder to him.

They followed the upper hall, setup similar to lower one, but whereas the lower seemed to end in one room, this ended in two. When they entered the room it was… nothing that Tony had expected. He expected something that denoted Loki's childhood, who he was, what made him the man of today. But it looked like a perfectly normal guestroom with a bed large enough for two. The only thing that his eyes picked up was the picture on the mantle of a woman with long, curling blonde hair, laughing blue eyes and a bright smile on her face as she held a boy, maybe 8 years old, in her lap that had the same mess of unruly curls and brilliant blue eyes as Loki. He picked up the frame gently as Loki moved to grab pieces of the wood that sat to the side of the fireplace and tossed them in after he opened the chimney.

Tony held up the picture for a moment before commenting, "You look like your mother."

Loki looked over at him and smiled, "Thank you. She was far more beautiful that I, though."

"Beautiful, handsome, same things, just different gender bases," Tony said with a shrug and set down the picture again.

Loki shrugged as well before crouching down and quickly lighting the fire. He affirmed it was burning well and that the chimney was not clogged before moving to kiss Tony's cheek and saying, "Get warmed up, I need to make sure the generator has fuel and the electricity lines are stable."

Tony nodded and settled in front of the fire in the only chair in the room. He needed to be able to feel his toes again.

~~~/~~~/~~~

As Loki moved down the hall his expression slowly became grimmer. Coming back here, to Amund's home reminded him in full force why he was here and what had transpired before hand. He brought a hand up the Norn Stone and daggers at his waist, taking comfort that they were there.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony sat sunk in his chair in front of the unlit fireplace of the main communal room. They had been here for two days now and Loki had simply withdrawn further into his shell. He moved about the house, cataloguing items, checking their condition, sometimes cleaning a certain piece carefully before moving to the next room. Tony had already gone through every room looking for something interesting, all he found were dusty, old antiques and Norse weapon collections. Not even an insect collection. He was bored out of his mind by now.

It didn't help in his desire to crack Loki's shell either. He was about to grab a hold of Loki and drag him back to New York just so they could have sex. Loki had steadfastly refused the moment Tony had brought it up and a sex-deprived Tony was just morally wrong. He could tell Loki was getting angry at his constant prodding as well, but Tony wanted in. Loki had gotten under his skin and had proceeded to setup shop right inside his chest, but the moment Tony tried to get into Loki's past and under his skin back in the States, the man steered the conversation away so fast Tony could barely make out how it had been done.

Now, here in Loki's home, he was just completely shutting down. It was unnerving for Tony to see, since he was used to the rather animated, but gentle, British/Norwegian gentleman. So he saw no other route but to ask the taller man point blank about it. He looked up as Loki came in with hot tea for each of them and set it down, "Sorry that took a bit longer than I thought," and set the cup and saucer before Tony before moving to the fireplace to start lighting it.

Tony watched him for a second before finally asking, "What has you so strung out about this place?"

Loki looked up at him in surprise, stopping what he had been doing and giving a short, forced laugh, "Nothing in particular."

"No," Tony said sharply and sat up to lean over his knees, elbows resting on them as his hands folded before him, eyes locking onto Loki who refused to look at him, "Don't brush it off, Loki. You've completely shut down since you've arrived and barely talk. It's like you're a completely different person."

Loki finally looked up to stare at him, the look on his face was something Tony hadn't seen before. The normally blue eyes were almost entirely green at that moment and the look was a mix of sadness and terror, his mouth pinched tightly shut and his hands gripped into fists to the point of his knuckles turning white.

Loki, for his part, really was feeling all those things, but for different reasons than Tony was thinking. Loki had been avoiding his past, yes. It was easier not to have to deal with making up a false background and trying to keep with it, but what terrified him was that he didn't _want_to lie to Tony. He wanted to tell him the truth, everything that happened. It was out of the question. Swallowing hard he moved to sit down in the chair next to Tony before he said in a tight voice, "I don't like my childhood here, Tony. I don't like to recall it."

Tony passed a hand over his face, "I understand that, Loki. But fuck, you don't give me anything! You can find anything you want out about me, and yet I can't get past your walls."

"Sometimes you don't need to get past walls to know who a person is, Tony," Loki tried, he sat rigid in his seat, leaning slightly on his right arm that gripped his armrest tightly, he left hand was held up just before his chest, fingers and thumbs rubbing together slightly, a nervous, contemplating tick that Tony only usually saw when his lover was working.

"All walls are toppled at some point, Loki," Tony shot back, "And I don't want that person to be anyone but me," the possessive and definitive edge to Tony's voice made Loki look up at him again.

Tony's eyes were hard and determined and Loki immediately re-enforced his walls. So he was a prize, something that would be a trophy on Tony's wall once he found his way in. Just like his father, "I am not yours, Tony Stark. I am not someone that you can get underneath and then keep on some prize winning shelf," he snapped, standing again quickly and moving to stare out of the large windows with his hands clasped in front of him.

Tony watched the walls go up so fast he was left reeling slightly and cursed himself internally. He stood and moved over to Loki, "Loki, that's not what I me-" he moved to try touch his lover's shoulders but Loki wrenched away from him as if burned with surprising force.

Loki glowered at Tony as anger distorted his features and he dropped into a defensive stance, hands balled into fists at his sides, "Oh don't try to cover it up," he snapped, "you're just the same as him, I'm just a little prize to be kept and told what to do, how I _should _act. But never to-" Loki's mouth suddenly snapped shut with a sharp click of teeth and he blinked several times.

Tony watched as Loki pieced himself back together, his shoulders dropped, his features softened and his hands unclenched at his sides. It was a two-minute rollercoaster that Tony wasn't sure he knew what to do with. One moment he was getting there, then Loki was perfectly contained behind his walls, gentle as always, only to turn into this snarling, defensive creature that seemed like he was clutching his battered heart in a desperate attempt to keep it safe. Then a second later he was back to the Loki Tony knew, the anger he had just witnesses tucked carefully away. Loki swallowed thickly as he said in his normal, warm voice, a string of strain beneath it, "You may not like what you find behind the walls you topple."

Tony stared at the other man with a slightly slack jaw, eyes locked on Loki, his expression, hesitant with a dash of surprise and dismay. There was more going on in those brown eyes and it just made Loki's throat clench further. Tony didn't notice it, but what had snapped Loki out of his rage was not Tony's expression, but that the room had gotten bone chillingly cold. Tony's breath came in short little puffs of white as he unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself. The billionaire finally closed his mouth, but before he could say anything Loki moved passed him, "I'll be out."

That got Tony's attention, "What? No, we need to talk about this! Was it your father that 'kept' you? Loki, you can't just leave!"

Loki forced the sound of Tony's voice out of his head as he pulled on his boots and coat, though not caring to zip it up. With a frustrated growl Tony grabbed his arm again, "Dammit, Loki! Stop for one second!"

Loki's eyes flashed and in a show of strength he rarely made he shoved Tony back and away from him. He stared in slack-jawed horror as Tony fell and slid across the wood flooring. Loki stood there long enough for Tony to sit up with a groan and see the horrified look on Loki's face before he turned on his heel and took off. Tony got to his feet quickly as he could, but by the time he got to the door all he saw was the edge of Loki's dark green coat disappearing into the woods.

Loki ran because it felt good, it made him feel like he could get away from everything that choked his throat. Tony was better than he knew, he had gotten under his skin and was worming around in places he didn't belong, places that made Loki actually feel attached to the human. He hadn't actually meant to snap the way he had, as it was he had barely managed to keep his cover story. When he had shoved Tony it had truly terrified him in more ways than one, because he could have seriously injured Tony and because he felt it was the only way to keep Tony _out_.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony had gone after Loki despite the fact that Loki had the head start of the century on him. He couldn't just let Loki go like that though, thinking on his own and reaching conclusions and assumptions that Tony would be damned to allow if they were wrong. He wanted to set this right and get through this, not just watch the walls go up again. However, he had only just realized the level of shit he was in. He had been trudging through the snow, looking down to affirm his footing, when he looked up and he could see the white was closing in on him. His heart dropped to his stomach and he doubled his search effort. The storm was rolling in and he and Loki were going to be stuck in it soon. Should have worn the damnable suit.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki stood in the middle of the storm, the winds battering at him relentlessly as he silently challenged them to do their worst. Yet under the roar it was like the storm was singing to him, of all things. He could hear it lining the howl of the wind and he focused on it, anything but the blue of his skin or the markings that covered him from head to toe. The storm had brought it all out and laid it bare to show that he would never be free of the monster he was. Slowly, red eyes looked down at a hand that he raised up before he snatched it down again. With a slow breath he forced himself to calm down so he could go back to the mansion. He didn't need Tony freaking out more than he already probably was; he had been out here for quite some time.

With a swivel on his heel he began back, ignoring the storm as he tried to think of what to tell Tony, how to get through this argument that Loki had allowed far too close to himself. It was about halfway back when, through haze of arguing with himself, he saw a dark lump in the snow and what looked like hair. With light movements Loki moved over to the mound cautiously, careful not to reveal himself, but the moment he saw who it was all bets were off. Darting over and kneeling to the barely conscious human, Tony Stark, Loki was able to determine he was alive, but on the verge of frostbite and hypothermia.

He looked up and around, searching for any sort of shelter, afraid Tony wouldn't make it back to the mansion. Taking a deep breath Loki closed his eyes and spread out his magic and called upon whatever genetic strength he could muster to calm the storm around them. With shaking hands holding the spell even as it sapped at his energy at an alarming rate, he finally spotted a cave to the south. Grabbing Tony, who groaned in protest, Loki took off and dove into the cave. He dropped Tony to the floor as gently, but quickly, as he could before reaching up and freezing the entry, blocking out the storm as snow quickly piled up on the other side of the ice.

He pulled away his blue hand as he watched the normal, pale skin reappear, eyes darting up to watch it happen to the mangled reflection of his face in the ice and he realized that the last action had taken no energy at all. He dropped the hand with a disgusted grunt before a moan came from behind him and Loki snapped around, remembering why he was here. He darted over to the now curled up man and gently rolled him onto his back to look at the damage. His clothes were sopping wet and half frozen, snow and tiny icicles littered Tony's hair, eyelashes and eyebrows, and his lips were almost blue with near-white skin. Tony's eyes barely fluttered open to see him before they closed again in a slight grimace.

Loki nodded grimly to himself and looked around, thankful for the generally dry cave floor and the scattering of dry wood that littered it. The cave was not deep, so there were no other occupants that a quick check could show. He gathered as much of the wood as he could and lit it with a snap of his fingers. He moved back to Tony and began to pull off the wet clothes; ripping and tearing through them where needed. Delirious brown eyes opened as Loki jerked him about - fumbling, feeling-less fingers tried to grip him, but there was not strength or hold to the pale, white digits. With a soft hushing sound Loki grabbed the hands and pushed them down, "I've got you, Tony. Calm down."

Tony stopped squirming at the words and red-rimmed eyes looked for him as a hoarse voice said, "Loki...?"

Loki moved up so he was in the human's line of sight. Tony relaxed considerably as he murmured, "You're ok…"

Loki swallowed hard and nodded, "I am, now stop fighting me," and pulled off his own jacket using a spell to seep the water from it and laying it out, Tony not processing any of it at all.

The god lifted Tony's now-nude form onto the jacket for the dry warmth it offered and quickly pulled off his own clothes and placed a hand on his chest, using a spell to essentially make his body a living heater. He settled next to Tony, making sure Tony's icy toes were near the fire so they could warm without being in the flames. He pulled the tool-calloused hands to his chest, hissing softly at the shift of heated skin against near-frozen fingers. Tony grimaced and tried to pull his hands away but Loki held them in place, "I know it hurts, but you have to warm up."

Tony's still unfocused eyes peered up at him, though only barely seeing him before burying his head against Loki's chest and shoulder, still trembling and shivering. Loki pulled him close, moving one arm around Tony's back while Tony's hands curled between them for the heat that was generated there, the glow of his reactor sending a blue light between them.

~~~/~~~/~~~

In the course of an hour Tony's body temperature raised enough for him to pass out, though still clinging to Loki as the storm raged around them. When Loki was sure that Tony's body temperature was high enough, not fluctuating, and he was sound asleep, he pulled away from the human, despite sleep-ridden protests and wrapped his jacket tight around Tony to let him rest. He began to dry Tony's clothes, a mix of magic and old-fashioned techniques (wringing out, rubbing together, and laying out to dry) doing the trick. Though he still needed to figure out what he was going to do about talking to Tony. Everything that led to Tony staying (which he knew he wanted after being presented with the prospect of losing him) meant he had to give the human something, but he didn't want him in the middle of anything.

The trickster god looked back at Tony as he shifted and curled tighter into the jacket. It would be a lie, but as little of a lie as possible.

Tony groaned and rolled onto his back as he slowly woke and blinked languidly. He jolted up as he saw the cave ceiling, then ducked back down into the jacket, "Shit, cold, fuck, naked, ow!"

A soft laugh made him look over at the source and he remembered why he had gone out in the first place, for Loki. He relaxed and flopped onto his back, "Oh thank god."

"You're lucky I found you, Tony. What were you thinking, being out in a Norwegian storm like that?" Loki said, moving to sit close to Tony.

Tony looked over at him and said point blank, "You."

Loki frowned and Tony elaborated, "You ran when we needed to talk. I tried to go after you, but the storm came in and before I knew it, everything was white."

The god shook his head and reached over to brush some hair form his lover's face, "I would have been fine, Tony. I just needed time to think."

Tony gave him a considering look then shrugged, "Sometimes you think yourself into a corner."

Loki sat up a little straighter before saying, "Well, about... At the mansion. I'm sorry fo-"

"Loki, you don't need to apologize," Tony said with a soft smile.

"Let me finished, Stark," Loki said sharply, obviously edgy but determined at the same time.

Tony held up his hands then settled back into the jacket again as Loki continued, "I loved being with my mother. When I lived with her in London, I was just a normal boy, exploring, trying new things, and going to school. I took special, accelerated curriculum so that I could spend the full five months with my father. It was hard, but I loved it. I hated coming to my father's. He turned everything into some sort of survival training, trying to 'counter the affects of my mother'. He loved her for giving him a son, but hated her for giving him a son that preferred books and Shakespeare to a good Norse sword fight. I was the perfect imperfection to him."

Loki took a moment to close his eyes and push back the tears that threatened, making the action seem far simpler than it really was. He did not cry. He forced himself to continue when the silence got too long, "You remember that scar and the little bundle of scar tissue I have underneath it? The one I got mad at you for being so inquisitive about?"

Tony nodded, "It's a nail that I fell on when I was younger. It was a clean one, luckily, and blunt edged. I told him there was something inside the wound and he told me to suck it up and be a man. I didn't tell mother, I was too afraid she'd be mad at me for making a fuss too."

The billionaire sat up, moving to try and touch the spot, "That still doesn't mean you can play with it," Loki shot at him, shifting away protectively.

Tony sighed, but nodded before Loki continued, taking the hand that had reached for him and lacing his own with it, "When she died I went to him. Suddenly not only was I living in his shadow, I was living in hers too. I was never good enough, and my father seemed terrified that the smallest wound would kill me. He arranged for me see a private tutor, but a condition of his receiving me was that he send me to boarding school. So he sent me to the closest one in Oslo. That was hell and relief all at once. On the one hand I was out from underneath my father's ever-present eyes, on the other having the nickname Loki set me up for being the one always teased and shunned aside by everyone else. I had my books though, and when I got to college I had a full scholarship to Cambridge. He tried to find a way to grab it out from under me, but I held onto it like a starved fox with its first kill in days and threatened him with telling everyone who I was. I had my birth certificate with his name across it from my mother, the one thing I had kept carefully tucked away."

Loki took another breath, "I was lucky he was terrified of that. He still hounded after me for nearly two years, but near the end of that second year in college, I'm not sure what happened. One day he just stopped. He disappeared from my life entirely until his deathbed. I came to see him just before he passed. He didn't saying anything, just passed his will to me. It listed that everything was left to me, the only condition being that I came to see that the mansion was kept in good condition each year. I tried to ask why, but he had passed as I was reading the will. You know the rest from there."

Tony had scooted towards him as he spoke, releasing his hand so he could wrap his arms around Loki, the god sliding his arm around the human's shoulders in return, simply taking in the nearness, "You said he kept you on some sort of pedestal though," Tony inquired.

Loki nodded, "It was odd. When my mother died he stopped all the training and suddenly wouldn't let me out of my room the majority of the time. It was Ms. Zimmerman, his assistant then, that threatened to tell the courts that he hadn't obeyed my mother's will. I am forever grateful to her."

The human nodded, "Is she still alive?"

"No, she passed on about three years ago. My father listened to her the way I listen to Ms. Hess," Loki said, smiling a little at the thought.

There was a small pause before Tony leaned in and kissed the corner of Loki's mouth and said, "Thank you," and leaned his forehead against Loki's as the god turned to him.

Loki shook his head slightly, tucking the emotions he had shown carefully, "Thank you."

~~~/~~~/~~~

It was another two hours before the storm calmed and passed. They dressed, Loki having managed to get their clothes fairly dry and the god was lucky enough to be able to call his magic enough to thin the ice at the cave entrance until it was just a thin, melted layer that could easily be broken through to packed in powder snow beyond. The two punched through it easily and dug themselves out and climbed onto the top of the snow, squinting and blinking at the bright light of the afternoon sun. Tony held up a hand to block his eyes, "Damn that's bright. How long were we in there?"

"Probably three to four hours?" Loki pointed out.

"Holy crap, and that storm started in less than five minutes!" Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"That's how storms happen here," Loki said, smiling at the human.

"I am making a weather machine to stop this bull shit. Especially if you're going to be here every year. Maybe just create a big dome and plunk it right over the grounds, easy enough," Tony described, hands moving along with it to illustrate.

Loki chuckled, "But then all the fun is taken out, Tony. No death-defying feats of bravery, no show of human survival instincts?"

"Human survival instincts do _not_ need a 5-second inbound snow storm of doom to be shown perfectly. Hell, New Yorkers show those every day! Can I take a moment and just tell you how much I love New York and how warm it is?"

"This from the man that was just complaining about how cold it was a few days ago," Loki shot back as he trudged through the snow, effectively creating a path for the smaller man.

Tony pouted, "Hey, New Yorker here, having a moment of New York love."

"New Yorker having a moment of 'realizing where I live isn't that bloody bad'," Loki countered over his shoulder.

Tony's features pinched as his eyes narrowed. A moment later the distinct clomp of a snowball hitting Loki in the back of the head was felt and Loki stopped. He took a little breath, brushed off the ice from his shoulders and continued forward, only to have another one nail him in the back of the shoulder again. His eyes narrowed and he turned, only to duck a third. Tony gave him a huge, almost innocent smile, before dodging behind a tree as Loki sent a packed ball of snow at the billionaire. Loki found his own hiding place, "You realize you've started a fight with an expert?"

"I'm a genius, I'm sure I'll have you on your knees soon enough," Tony shot back, sending a ball at Loki's hiding place.

"Genius doesn't make you light on your feet, you'll be buckled over long before me," Loki gave back, chuckling.

"Hey, how hard could be-Ow!" Tony said as Loki's snowball clipped his side.

Loki laughed, only to duck a shot that would have hit his shoulder. Tony had stolen away behind a large boulder as he called, "How in the hell are your balls harder than mine?"

"That's a good question, you do encase yours in metal," Loki said, biting his lip against laughter; he may have been filling the snowballs with a touch of magic to harden their surface.

"Exactly, what the hell are you 'encasing' yours in?" Tony asked, another snowball flying over Loki's head before the god sent one in turn.

"I'm going to go with pure energy," Loki said and snuck to a nearby tree.

"Well, that explains the other weekend in Rio De Janeiro," Tony said as he managed to clip Loki's shoulder as he moved to another tree.

Tony slid out from behind the stone, just to get a snowball to the rear before he whirled and sent one at Loki, the god managing to block with his elbow. As Loki lowered his arm he found Tony trudging through the deep snow toward him determinedly, biting his lower lip as he raised his feet high, "Fucking hell!" Tony called in frustration before throwing the snowball he held and nearly face planting in the snow.

Loki couldn't stop laughing at the visual he had just received, ignoring the snowball that hit his thigh in favor of continuing to laugh. It ended up being his downfall as Tony chucked himself at Loki and knocked the god bodily back into the snow with an 'Oof!'

Tony landed on top of him and promptly straddled his waist. A few deep breaths and Tony said, "Well, not on your knees, but I'll take it."

Loki just smiled brightly, "You're lucky you looked ridiculous or I would have never faltered."

Tony held up a finger before him, "Hey, I was a magnificent swan, floating across the snow," and illustrated by spreading his arms out a 'delicate' manner similar to that of a ballerina.

The god couldn't help bursting into laughter again. Tony could no longer maintain his own serious expression either and a grin pulled his lips open as he laughed and he dropped his head against Loki's shoulder before lifting it again, taking a moment to enjoy the sight of Loki laughing so openly before moving down to press his lips chastely to the god's. The human ran a gentle, gloved hand through half wet curls before pulling back, "Race you home?"

"I'll win, o' magnificent swan," Loki said with a smug look.

"Prove it," and Tony was off him, heading in the direction of the house that could be seen just between the trees.

Loki shot up and was quickly outrunning the shorter man, driving expertly through the snow. He turned and stuck his tongue out at Tony before continuing. Tony called after him, "That's a 5 second hold penalty for childishness!"

"Make me!" Loki tossed over his shoulder.

"I will when I can feel my toes again!" Came the answer as they began to weave through the trees.

Loki touched the side of the half snowed in house and called out, "I win!" Tossing his arms in the air.

Tony just flopped in the snow as he finally caught up, breathing heavily and blinking quickly. He pulled up an arm, pointing at Loki, "Next time, arch-nemesis of mine!"

Loki laughed and grabbed the hand, pulling the other up, "Come on, let's get you inside, I'll start a fire."

Tony groaned happily and nodded quickly, "Fuck yes, a fire, warm things, tea- no coffee. Damn British man and your tea-corruption…"

Loki laughed again as he moved over to where the door was, a few moments of them digging was needed to actually get to the door and be able to open it. The moment the door opened they could hear Tony's phone going off. The billionaire sighed and took off, picking it up and saying, "Pepper! Don't tell me the world is ending!"

Loki could hear Pepper on the other side of the room as she proceeded the let loose on Tony. Loki gave him a sympathetic look as he picked up his own phone. There were three missed calls, three messages and a single text message, all from Amilia. The text message simply read 'Mr. Graves'. A tiny, purposeful creak and Loki looked up at Veli.

Veli tilted his head and Loki made a small hand sign and the assassin bowed before disappearing. Loki stopped for a moment, making sure Veli had left completely before he dialed Amilia to assure her they were fine.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki sighed as he dropped across Tony's bed in his penthouse, "Augh, I missed this bed!"

"Hey, don't make me jealous of the bed, Loki," Tony warned lightly.

"Then join me," Loki fired back, shifting onto his side.

Tony did just that, climbing onto the huge bed and curling next Loki. Tony smiled and pushed a few of Loki's unruly curls out of his face. Loki shifted closer, but stopped as two thumb-sized key fobs were set between them. He raised an eyebrow at Tony and the billionaire explained, "Blue one's for Malibu, green one's for New York. You're now keyed into JARVIS as being accepted no matter what, but these are secondary. Even if I lock you out you can still get in with these."

Loki looked at Tony, then at the keys for a moment before smiling widely, "You don't have to do this just because-"

"I'm not. I'm doing it because I trust you," he said simply and kissed Loki.

Loki took a moment to process that before nodding, "I know we don't really stay at my places at all, but I'd like to return the notion."

Tony smiled, one arm wrapping around Loki's waist, "I'd like that."

"Good, they'll be on your desk tomorrow," Loki said and pulled Tony into a kiss, tossing the keys at his duffel bag.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Three months after the Norway trip was a long time to get comfortable, to settle into a groove. Loki kept an eye on the tesseract, kept the humans occupied with this part or that part, he watched the superheroes of the world, SHIELD, Iron Man, Bruce Banner, etc. and ran his company at full throttle. It seemed so peaceful and sometimes he wished he could just forget everything that came before and stay like this. But that's always the moment when everything comes crashing down. It happened as he was looking out his office window in San Francisco. A twinge at first, then suddenly he was on his knees in pain as the inhibitor rang through his body and the world shifted around him.


	6. Chapter 5

[Author Note: Surprise! Early update in honor of all the lovely reviews I've received so far! Thank you all again for the reviews, story/author favorites, and watches/alerts! I have sent some messages out to all you lovely reviewers in thanks for your support. I am forever grateful. Also, I realize that some of the timeline may not be entirely clear up to this point. Basically when Loki lands on earth after running from the Chitauri is around the time he came to earth to take the tesseract in the movie. So this chapter specifically is roughly 7 months later from that. I hope that clears up any possible confusion.

***Spoiler Alert***: From here there are Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about.** This chapter is a BUNCH of transitioning and plot-type things, so no real warnings here. Again, thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses*

All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

* * *

Chapter 5

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki's teeth clenched and he looked around cautiously at the barren riddling of rocks and darkness before green eyes landed on the Other, his red tinged teeth set in a smiling mouth. Loki growled darkly as he snarled out, "Other."

"Loki of Asgard. How long did you think you could hide from us?" The Other said in his strange way.

"You haven't caught me yet, you sniveling hell-pup," Loki said, looking up at the display of stars around him.

"Oh, but we're coming, Loki of Asgard. We will have Earth and then we will make you beg for something as sweet as pain," the Other said as he reached out before Loki could pull away and touched the side of his face.

Pain ricocheted through his head before he realized he knelt in his office once more, gasping for breath. The door opened and Amilia stepped in, looking down at her touch pad and speaking, "Sir you have a mee-Oh sweet Trickster!"

The petite woman stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before scrambling to close the door and lean back against it. Loki stood up, in full battle armor, bright green eyes boring into her as wisps of long, black hair moved over his shoulders from just under the golden helm. He gave her a grim expression and said, "It's begun. Set everything into motion."

Amilia's face fell for a split second before she stood as tall as her tiny frame would allow and nodded curtly, "Yes my lord," and left the office.

Loki closed his eyes and turned back to the San Francisco skyline, eyes settling to the south, the barest hint of pain lined his eyes before it disappeared and his expression hardened over.

~~~/~~~/~~~

It had all been planned out, Amilia had spent the last day drawing Tony in, making him think something was up, that something was wrong with carefully dropped words in conversation. He smiled at Amilia as she got off the phone. She had just spent the last half an hour convincing Tony, without telling him anything, that he needed to be in Nice, France tonight because something was going on. Something that Tony had to see no matter what.

Loki had the girl, the daughter of a fellow millionaire and client of his company, Delia Vargas, ready for their minor little date. Were he human it would have been a good match. She was Spanish, rich, and their company was on the up. She was tall, thin and gorgeous, with dark eyes and wavy, black hair. If he were human. If he didn't already have someone else. He rubbed his forehead before taking a breath and steeling himself.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony watched Amilia's tense back as they moved down the hall of the posh hotel in Nice, eyes darting about anxiously. He sped up his step for a moment to come up next to Amilia and say, "Come on, Amilia. This is ridiculous. Just tell me what the hell is going on. It'll be easier."

"No," Amilia said shortly and continued forward, her expression blank and tightly controlled.

Tony sighed and dropped back behind her again, shoving his hands in his pockets. When they reached the double doors to Loki's suite, she swallowed thickly and grasped the door handles.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki had gotten Delia into his bed easily enough. In fact, she had practically jumped in when he suggested it. Now he had her in his lap, down to her lingerie and Loki had his shirt off. The strange thing was he almost grimaced each time they kissed or she kissed his skin, actually any touch made him resist rolling his eyes. She wasn't Tony. He pulled back, his look solemn and she pouted playfully as she asked, "What?"

Loki looked back at her and shook his head as he said softly, "No," and with a wave of his hand she was gone along with all of her personals.

He looked up as he heard the rattle of the suite doors, and quickly grabbed his shirt and tossed it on, though kept it unbuttoned, before leaning back on the bed.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Amilia opened the doors, stepped inside and moved grimly to the side. She glanced up and had to hide her surprise behind her touch pad as she saw the grinning Loki sitting on the still-made bed at the other side of the suite. Alone. Tony stared after he stepped into the room, confused as he looked about. Loki raised an eyebrow at him, which made Tony look to Amilia, pointing at the woman as a look of supposed understanding came over his features. She looked up at him with an innocent flutter of her eyelashes and a tiny grin touching her lips, "Enjoy your evening, sir," and turned, disappearing from the room as she closed the doors behind her.

Tony turned back to Loki as she disappeared and said, "Oh, she's good. She had me going hard there. Has she ever thought of acting? Scratch that, politics."

Loki stood with a laugh, the shirt he had on fluttering as he moved forward, "And lose my best and only assistant? Never."

Tony chuckled and wrapped an arm around Loki's waist, fingers trailing over the solid muscles, "So what brought this on?"

"Other than barely seeing you for three weeks?" Loki said, moving to brush a bit of Tony's hair out of his face.

Tony took in a breath between his teeth, "Yeah, about that. Iron Man and so on. Saving lives, ca-"

Loki shut Tony up in the most affective way possible, kissing him. He pulled back after a moment, "I didn't say they weren't all good reasons. I just want my lover."

"Hmm, I love it when you're possessive," Tony growled out, low and hungry.

"Good, because you're mine for the next 48 hours," Loki said, his grip on Tony tightening.

"Yessir," the billionaire slurred out and followed as Loki pulled him towards the bedroom.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Amilia stepped into her room and looked down at the half naked woman on her floor. Delia was magically bound, her voice gone and her eyes wide and terrified. She looked to Amilia, pleading for her help. Amilia stepped over to her dresser and opened the top draw as she spoke quietly, "You know, you're lucky. I have watched men squirm and writhe, begging for the release of death for the things your father has done. But my God is far more merciful than I."

Amilia pulled out a small, rune-covered stone. It glowed in her hand, imbued with the spell Loki had placed in it for after all was said and done. It was being used earlier than expected, but it would still work its purpose. She turned and gave the woman a comforting smile. The child was dripping with sweat and trembling as muscles twitched in a vain attempt to escape, "Oh don't worry, when you've done your part, you'll be released from the spell. Maybe a bit worse for wear, but you'll be just fine."

Gently Amilia reach down and set the stone on the woman's forehead and a black pool appeared across her face and bled into her eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Her eyes rolled back into her head, her body went slack, and the stone rolled off. Amilia looked up and Veli looked at her expectantly. She gave the assassin a warm, loving smile, "She's ready darling."

Veli gave her the barest of smiles before picking Delia up, the restraints no longer active, and carting her off. Amilia picked up the Norn Stone and placed it back in her dresser. Tomorrow morning there would be news of the millionaire's daughter having gone insane and killing her father and most of the security and staff before she stopped on her own. Amilia looked over at her touch pad and opened a file, pictures of several dead prostitutes, all unsolved. Her lip curled as she remembered her own hell on the streets, selling her body for whatever drugs she could scrape up. And she remembered each one of these girls she had known and how they had turned up. She flicked the folder closed and placed it in the trash. Loki had allowed her the justice she craved. To him she was forever indebted once again.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki kissed Tony goodbye two days later as he headed back to New York. Two hours after that and he had once again pieced himself together from the rage he had wrought on the hotel room. Never had he been unable to go through with one of his own plans. Never once had he faltered in any scheme. And yet here he was, altering things because he could not bring himself to harm that one person he needed to the most. He did not feel even the slightest regret or guilt for what Amilia had to deal with from the hotel. He simply told her to pay it from his personal accounts and be done with it. Though her knowing smile had nearly sent him into another fit of self-justified rage at her, but he managed to contain himself.

Now Loki was heading for his San Francisco office again, he wanted to be in short range if something happened with the tesseract. Loki sat down in the limo and watched the city move by as they drove. His pieces were in place, it was just a matter of the Chitauri making their move.

His only loose end was Tony. Loki closed his eyes and was about to try and figure out another way to break it off with Tony, maybe gently, when the inhibitor in his side flared to life and sent ripples of pain through him and made him collapse forward as he clutched his side. A moment later his phone came to life and he picked it up and said, "I know," hoarsely, "Alert all operatives, poise to take the tesseract. I'll be there in a moment."

He forced himself to straighten as he hung up. Now in full armor, though minus the helm, eyes green and hair long and dark. The armor faded away and he smiled, knowing Amilia would take care of the driver when he arrived, and disappeared.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden slowly stood as he looked around the room he had just been teleported into through the tesseract. Humans, what he had once been, stared at him in a mix of trepidation and awe, waiting for him to do something. Over the many months that he had been with the Chitauri and the Other he had become something far more than what he had once been. Strength and power raced through his veins and well formed muscles, making his skin pale and blackened at the edges and joints. His black hair was long now and was pulled back into a leather clasp at the back of his neck, and his eyes practically shone a churning blue in the dark. He was dressed in armor and robes of black, blue, and silver, all marking him as a Chitauri Champion and he clutched a silver, arched scepter in his hand that glowed similar to his eyes as he stepped forward slowly.

The bald, dark-skinned man before him with one eye patched over held up a hand and said, "Sir, put the weapon down!" As the slightly stockier man next to him dropped into a defensive stance, gun out.

Aiden raised an eyebrow and said in his gravely voice, "No," smiling to show off grey gums and black teeth. One shot of the staff sent them scattering.

He let off a few more shots before he slid in close enough to stab through the annoying little soldiers that thought they were a match for him, before he used the greater potential of the scepter. The sharpened tip touched the agent's, Clint Barton's he knew now, chest and he watched with a grin as his mind was altered and manipulated to follow him and him alone.

Behind him Fury was working quickly and quietly to gather the tesseract and simply walk away. However, Aiden was not so oblivious, "It's best if you leave that."

Fury stopped and turned, "So you can do what, exactly?"

Aiden gave a pleased hum as he said, "So I can bring order to this chaotic world. So that you no longer need to fight for peace, for attention, no longer need to protect one another. I would allow you freedom from those constraints," he said, the suggestion of his worlds clear, "but you need to give me the tesseract."

Fury frowned, "That sounds like something completely different to me."

"Oh? These things I can give humans readily. You would deny them that?" Aiden asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And what do we have to give you in return?" Fury shot back, eyes narrowed.

"Your obedience," Aiden confirmed.

"Yeah, thought so," Fury started, but before he could say anything else, Clint cut in.

"He's staling, sir. He knows that the energy in the dome is going to collapse the facility in on us at any moment," Clint said, stepping up beside Aiden.

Aiden nodded as he moved to the still dazed Dr. Selvig, only to touch the scepter to his chest, taking his mind for his own. In a sudden shift Aiden swung his arm out and a shot of energy sent Fury flying towards the concrete wall. Something stopped him from impact though, an impact that would have probably left him paralyzed or dead. Instead he was placed on the floor gently but unceremoniously and Fury just barely caught one of the scientists, Brian Freidmen he believed, as he slid in and grabbed the case the tesseract was in. He only avoided the angry shots Aiden fired at them because of some sort of shield.

Fury got to his feet and looked after Brian only to see him step just behind a tall man in green, black and gold armor, startling green eyes and slicked back black hair. His expression was impassive, though each line of his face was hard and unforgiving, "So, you're the poor soul that they found," came the smooth, accented voice of the newcomer.

Aiden sneered, "And you are the one that turned down an offer of the world, Loki of Asgard."

The god gave him a considering look, "Very good, but I'm sorry, I'm at a loss for your name."

"Aiden Christiansen," Aiden said proudly.

Loki tipped an eyebrow up, "A very human name."

"Ah, I was once human. One cannot forget their roots. That's why I have come back," he held up the scepter to it point at Loki directly, "I give you one chance to leave the tesseract and run. Do not make your quarrel with me."

"Yes, but a boot has no quarrel with an ant, now does it," Loki said simply, a grin finally moving across his lips.

Aiden's face filled with rage, "You will regret that, Loki of Asgard. I will hunt you down and show you how easily this 'ant' can carve out your heart."

"Try to find me. I am the trickster god," there was a flick of his wrist and Aiden was sent flying through the concrete wall by a focused explosion; he went farther back than Fury was willing to judge.

The dagger Loki had thrown came back to him quickly and a bullet was frozen in place by the shield before him. Fury looked over with a scowl at Clint who had his gun trained on Loki, though he was smart enough not to bother letting off another shot. Loki looked over at Fury and called, "Director, your point man and scientist are lost. Run now, or you will follow them," and Loki held up a gold sphere with curved horns coming from.

Behind Loki, Friedmen reached forward and took hold of the sphere and in a twist of space they were gone. It took Fury less than a millisecond to know Loki was right. With glare at Barton and Selvig, who were unable to get to him because of the field that still separated them, and a glance at the energy that churned above them, he made a quick exit. He made sure Maria Hill and Phil Coulson followed suit.

Aiden barreled back into the main room a moment after Fury left and let out a roar of rage as he saw his targets were gone, but one look at the twisting energy in the dome and he said, "Let's move," and they raced from the room.

Fury watched as the facility collapsed in on itself, creating a crater the size of which he had never seen before. He scrubbed a hand over his face as he touched his communicator to make it official. They were at war. Possibly with two factions.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The hide away that his agents had created about 50 miles from where the tesseract was held was nothing more than an underground shack. The ceremony he needed to perform was energy consuming and he needed to maintain the shroud to keep them hidden from anyone's prying eyes. He closed his eyes as each of his people took their places and the words and magic began to weave together under Loki's careful observation. He set down the tesseract before him and then the sphere, opening it and beginning to pull out spell after spell, pulling them from the magic in the air as well, and wrapping all of them around the tesseract. Slowly, the object shrunk, stopped glowing and emitted no power levels traceable through magic at all. He picked up the altered tesseract and slid it into the little pouch at his waist before he said, "End it."

The daggers fell once more, ending six more lives. It was unavoidable though; alive they were loose ends that could talk. No one could know. Taking a slow breath Loki touched the sphere again and he teleported once more.

~~~/~~~/~~~

He landed with a stumble in Amilia Hess's apartment. She stood instantly from her spot on her couch, teeth worrying the lower of her bow shaped lips, "It is done?"

"Yes, Amilia. It is," he said with a tired look.

She moved over to him immediately, but he waved her off, "I have one more stop till I hope you never see me again. You have your orders. Follow them. You too, Veli."

The assassin stepped from the shadows, "Yes, my lord," the Finnish native said, dropping to one knee.

Loki gave him an endearing smile and reached over to touch his hair gently before placing a kiss on Amilia's forehead and stepping back, disappearing. Amilia closed her eyes tightly, fighting the tears. She felt Veli's hand on her shoulder and she reached back to grip it tightly before he slid away. The tears fell then.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony's head popped up from the metal he had been wielding when JARVIS called him, "Sir, it seems Mr. Maes has arrived in your living room and is heading here."

"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Tony snapped as he flicked the torch off and tore off his wielding mask and gloves before moving towards the door.

"My scanners must need recalibrating, I didn't know myself until he just… appeared," JARVIS said with a quizzical tone.

Tony frowned and gave the AI a skeptical look, "Yeah, recalibrate and check your hardware. I don't need you glitching."

"Yes sir," the AI responded and Tony moved up the lab stairs in search of Loki.

Loki paused as he saw Tony coming up from the lab, quickly turning to move towards him. He was back to his human clothes, blue eyes and blond curled hair. "Tony," he said almost softly and moved to pull him into a tight hug.

Tony laughed and hugged him in return, "You realize I'm a sweat-monkey right now, don't you?"

Loki laughed and nodded, "And right now I don't give a damn," he needed the human near, to feel him close at least one last time before the illusion he had made for him, and for Tony, shattered.

Tony frowned and pulled back from Loki, hearing the desperate and tired edge to his voice, "Loki, what's wrong?"

Loki shook his head, scattering the thoughts in his head and focusing on the genius in his arms, "I missed you," and smiled at him.

Tony's expression lightened at that, "I missed you too," a kiss, "Yeah, really missed you."

"Bedroom," Loki said simply, Tony's agreement coming in the form of dragging Loki there.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki trailed his fingers across Tony's bare back, making patterns across the slightly tanned skin he found there. Sex with Tony was always amazing, but this had been different, his own need causing him to forget some of his previous inhibitions about tiring the human out and simply carrying on until he saw fit to stop. This was the last time they would be doing this, despite Tony having no clue of it. However, the extended lovemaking resulted in the sleepy human that now shifted to look at him as he woke. The sated smile on Tony's lips made not smiling difficult for Loki as he started, forcing himself to go through with what _had_to be done, "Tony, I need to t-"

He was cut off by JARVIS chiming it, "Sir, it seems Agent Coulson is here and he is insistent on speaking with you."

"Tell him to fuck off," Tony said without hesitation, eyes locked on Loki.

"I will inform him to leave the premises, sir," JARVIS answered.

"Now, you were sayi-" Tony was once again cut off as his phone went off next to the bed.

Tony closed his eyes and took a calming breath before picking up the phone and sitting up, "You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message-"

"This is urgent, Mr. Stark. We need you up to speed and ready for briefing by morning," came Agent Coulson's voice.

"Then he'll see you in the morning," Tony finished.

"You have homework," Coulson continued.

Tony scrubbed a hand through his hair and snapped, "Leave it on the door step or something," and flicked the phone off.

He dropped back onto the bed, propping his head up on his hand with his elbow supporting it on the bed, looking to Loki expectantly as he posed. The affect was ruined as JARVIS said, "Sir, my protocols are being overridden. Agent Coulson should be in your room in approximately one minute."

Tony took a slow calming breath and Loki gave him a light kiss before saying, "Go on."

"I will be right back for that talk," and the billionaire jumped from the bed and grabbed his robe, tossing it on with the first set of underwear he could find.

Loki sat up silently as Tony left and he whispered solemnly, "I won't be here."

~~~/~~~/~~~

"Seriously, Coulson. I'm trying to get laid here," Tony said, holding his hands out to the side with an exasperated expression.

"Well, despite your extracurricular activities, Mr. Stark, an emergency has come up. You have to take a look at this," Coulson said, pushing the laptop towards him, "We're on the verge of something catastrophic. This isn't anything we've dealt with before."

Tony gave him an annoyed look, "We're always 'on the verge of something catastrophic'!" He mimicked.

"I will call Ms. Potts, Mr. Stark," The agent threatened.

Tony sighed through his nose and he nodded, "All right, fine. See you tomorrow," he said as he flipped open the computer.

Agent Coulson nodded and turned, walking from the house quickly and promptly. Tony took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over his face, when JARVIS's voice came, "Sir…?" the AI said hesitantly.

"Yes, JARVIS?" Tony snapped, irritated.

"Mr. Maes, he's gone sir," it replied quietly.

Tony frowned, confusion evident, "What? How?"

"I don't know, sir. He just… vanished," it added in a slightly strained fashion, probably running every test it could think of to figure out what had been missed.

Tony growled as he moved over to the bedroom, "I thought you ran those scans to check-" He opened the doors to his room and froze, stopping mid sentence.

Sure enough there was no one there. He looked everywhere for a way out, but the room only had a door in towards the house. He didn't have a balcony door since it went straight out over the cliff and there was no broken glass. That's when he noticed the keys to his house and penthouse. He snatched them up as surprise, anger, and bewilderment flickered over his features. His head snapped up, "JARVIS, call Loki."

The AI didn't even confirm, it just dialed, but there was nothing but a disconnected notice, "Amilia Hess!" Tony tried, but the same answer.

Tony listed off every major contact he had that might be able to get in touch with Loki, but either the number was disconnected, or they had no idea where he was. With a slow, calming breath he moved to the computer Coulson had left, "JARVIS, call Pepper."

"Yes sir," JARVIS said softly and put through the call.

"It's midnight Tony," came Pepper's tired voice two rings later.

"I need you to try to get a hold of Loki. Any way possible, do it,' Tony said sharply.

"Tony, what's going on?" Pepper asked, confusion in her voice.

"He disappeared. Literally. Just poof, one minute he was standing in my bedroom, the next, JARVIS says he just disappeared. Get me everything, Pepper. Every, last, scrap," Tony said, fast and sharp, brokering no argument.

There was only a small pause, before she said, "Yes, Mr. Stark," and hung up the phone.

Tony swallowed hard and took another breath. He opened the laptop, needing anything he could get his hands on to occupy his mind, and the packet Coulson had given him was good enough. He was reading through the information on the tesseract when he stopped cold at who had taken it. He touched the picture set and pulled it onto his big screen and enlarged it. He breathed out the name from lips that hung open in shock, "Loki…"

To the left was a picture of Thomas Loki Maes, and to the right was Loki of Asgard. There was no mistaking it. The information read that he had been hiding on Earth under the guise of Thomas Loki Maes for several months and that there was still little known about the inner workings of his company. The only employee they had ever managed to crack had committed suicide before they could get the information from him. With a hard swallow he barely got down, he said quietly in a defeated tone, "Dial Pepper."

"Tony?" Her voice came through, more alert now, "I can't get a ho-"

"I know what happened, Pep," he said, "Don't ask, I can't tell you yet."

There was a long pause as Pepper seemed to piece at least a part of it together before she said softly, "I'm sorry, Tony."

"Hold down the fort for a while, Pep. I'll be on Iron Man duty," he said.

"All right," and she hung up the phone.

Hurt, betrayal, and rage all tore through him after she hung up and he leaned over on his couch, head in his hands, before promptly flipping over the coffee table and sending it flying to the other side of the room. A scream that embodied all of his emotions into one overbearing package let loose from his throat before he slumped back into the couch, body limp for a moment. His mind raced over every encounter, every moment, looking for hints. Maybe he should have read more into how Loki so easily accepted the reactor in his chest, or how he had so openly listened to the story of the personal hell that he had wallowed in when the palladium was slowly killing him… His mind ran in circles for the better part of an hour, chasing after and re-analyzing every memory he had of Loki. It didn't help much.

It took him about an hour to get back in control so he could continue the necessary research. He was subconsciously glad that the computer Coulson had given him was not on the table he had upturned because it would have been destroyed in the single action. He had been betrayed before, he would get around this like every other time, but it royally sucked that he couldn't get shitfaced right now.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony waltzed onto the bridge of the helicarrier with his customary swagger, pulling off his sunglasses as Steve Rogers said, "So glad you could join us, Stark."

"Hey, I'm always here to please," Tony said and moved over to the helm area and looked between the screens, covering one eye, "How does Fury see this?"

"He turns," Maria said with a forced smile.

"Ah, sounds exhausting," Tony gave with a little shrug, eyebrows darting up briefly.

Steve rolled his eyes at Tony while Natasha resisted a smile and Bruce looked awkward. Tony homed in on Bruce and walked towards him with a huge smile on his face, "Bruce Banner right?"

"Ah, yes," Bruce said with a shaky smile taking the hand Tony offered.

"So good to meet you. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled, and I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster," Tony said, offering him an excited smile.

Bruce seemed taken back for a moment but managed a smile, "Oh, well, thanks. I think," his arms folding over his chest again.

Fury picked that moment to walk in and step before them, "Thank you all for coming, please have a seat," Tony dropped into the first available seat and Bruce took the one next to him, the billionaire offer him a reassuring smile.

"Exactly seven hours ago, the tesseract was taken from our facility in New Mexico, by an individual named Loki who had been hiding under the guise of Thomas Loki Maes, the owner of one of the largest security companies in the world." Tony hid a tiny wince, "This was only after an unknown male, naming himself Aiden Christiansen, who was transported directly into our facility, made a first attempt."

"What exactly were you doing with the tesseract, anyway?" Came Bruce's mild voice.

Fury glanced over at Bruce, "We think the tesseract could be a source of clean, possibly unlimited, energy, if we can harness it correctly. Dr. Selvig had been working on that but had yet to be successful. However, now both he and agent Barton," Natasha perked up, "have been compromised."

Fury leaned forward on the table, "We're not sure how, but Aiden has them under his control." there was a short pause for affect before he continued, "Aiden has already made his intentions known. His plan is to take over the earth, create a place where we can be 'unharmed' under his rule. Loki, however, gave no indication. He took the tesseract, called Aiden an ant and disappeared. He hasn't been seen since and so far he seems benign in nature."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Steve asked, tilting his head.

Fury shrugged a little before he straightened, "When Aiden threw a shot off his scepter, it would have thrown me into a wall, probably would have cracked my spine in half. He could have let it happen and still gotten the tesseract. Instead, he kept me whole and shielded. Even after he left. He's made no threats, and caused no deaths that we know of."

Fury paused, eye moving over each of them in turn before he continued, "But he does have the tesseract, and we can't let that stay in his hands. We need a way to track it and that's where you two come in, Stark, Banner."

Bruce straighten up and Tony's eyebrows raised as he glanced back at Bruce then at Fury again, "The low level gamma radiation I take it?"

"The what?" Steve asked.

Tony gave him an incredulous look, "Didn't you read the packet? The tesseract emits a low level gamma radiation, one that is specific to the tesseract only but too low for it to be tracked without help."

"Exactly," Fury confirmed and looked to Steve and Natasha, "I need you to help find Aiden and the men he's taken."

Steve and Natasha nodded in confirmation. Bruce leaned forward and asked, "So, where are you with both parts?"

Agent Coulson spoke after Fury looked to him, "We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops... if it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"That's still not going to find them quick enough," Natasha said with a small frown.

"For the tesseract you'll have to narrow the field, first. How many spectrometers do you have access to?" Bruce added.

"How many are there?" Fury asked, motioning for Maria to take charge of that.

"Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places quickly and Mr. Stark-"

"Tony," the billionaire corrected.

"-Tony can start on a more exact algorithm in the mean time. Do you have somewhere for us to work?" Bruce finished, using his name hesitantly.

Tony promptly stood with Bruce and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "That is where I get to show you the lab, and it has all the toys, I made sure. You're going to love it."

Bruce gave the billionaire a little smile as they left the room, silently happy that there was one person that didn't seem terrified of him.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden knelt before the Other, "My Lord, the tesseract has escaped me for the moment," A low hum of disappointment, "The Asgardian Loki has it."

A sharp sound of anger, "Aiden, I would hope that our gift to you would not be so ill used."

"No, my Lord, it's not. I have the scientist and he is already piecing together what is needed. Soon I will just have to find the tesseract. Then the portal will be open for the army you promised," Aiden said, looking up to the Other sharply.

"Hmmm, good. Do not disappoint us, Aiden. Go," a wave of his hand and Aiden was back on earth in the underground base he had created for the time being, people moving in the next room.

He stepped into the bustle, pieces and part all being managed by the scientist, Selvig. He moved smoothly over to the scientist and said, "What have you found?"

"Oh, so much my Lord. I see everything," Selvig said with an excited sigh, "Thank you so much for this. The only thing we're missing now is the iridium. Everything else just needs to be put in place."

"Good," he turned, "Barton?" Clint looked up, "I take it you have already found what the Doctor needs."

"Yeah, and the eyeball that goes with it," he said, snapping his bow open.

"Tell me," Aiden said with a wide smile.

Clint grinned.

* * *

[End Notes:

To the two lovely guest reviewers, thank you so much for reviewing. I am glad you are enjoying the story and hope you continue to!

To string theory: Thank you for enjoying it so much and reviewing. I will update as fast as I can, I promise!]


	7. Chapter 6

[Author Note: And now for your regularly scheduled update! This is a really long chapter because a lot happens here. Thank you so much for reading and to everyone that reviewed last chapter: THANK YOU! That was such a big response! It made me all squibbly and happy *^_^*

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about.** Another thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses*

All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

* * *

Chapter 6

~~~/~~~/~~~

"Sir," one of the agents on the bridge said as he straightened, "We have a match for Loki in Germany. He's certainly not hiding right now."

Fury nodded and looked to up to Steve, who nodded as well, before calling to the lab, "Mr. Stark, we're going to need you in that suit of yours."

"What? I thought I was just here to be a science nerd! We've only been at it for five minutes!" Tony shot back.

"Not this time, Stark. We're dealing with a god here. I'm not taking any chances," Fury answered.

"Every damned time," Tony grumbled in his normal, sarcastic manner and cut the communication off.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki walked across the balcony of the great hall, below people were listening to a German man at the bottom of the stairs and an orchestra played somewhere beneath him, but his eyes were on something else. A creature that moved in the shadows and had a specific target in mind that was currently giving his speech. He wasn't exactly sure what he needed from the man, but he had managed to track down Aiden, not a horribly difficult feat just energy consuming, through the shadows. The man exuded a certain energy that was particular to the Chitauri, something he was all too familiar with. With a grin he glance up at one of the cameras before moving smoothly down the grand staircase, green eyes intent on the German and Aiden as the once-human came from the shadows.

The security was easy enough to take out, Aiden sending them flying into the walls with sickening cracks. Loki paid no mind to the humans as he moved swiftly forward, watching as Aiden's hand poised high with a three-pronged device. Loki took up the cane of a gentleman that had already fled, not feeling like getting out his daggers yet and sent the Chitauri champion flying to the side with a firm club to the head. He bent over the terrified human slightly and quirked an eyebrow, the man scrambled to his feet and moved away as quickly as possible. Loki tossed the now broken cane to the side and pulled out his daggers as he looked up, "Hello again, Aiden."

"My, you are bold," Aiden said as he stood from where he had landed and twirled his scepter, "You realize I know about the inhibitor. Your weakened state."

"And yet you still know so little," Loki said with a grin.

Aiden growled at the taunt and went after the god. Loki sidestepped the swipe of the scepter and landed a sharp blow to the champion's side and a quick slap to the back of his head before sliding out of reach, "What did they teach you, Aiden? Charge and swipe? No foot work?" Loki taunted, 'tsk'ing softly.

Aiden cracked his neck, before turning to watch Loki closely, then moved back in. This time Loki was much more hard-pressed to keep away from the blows or land any, but he knew if one landed Aiden could have him crippled. Aiden just moved slower than Loki. A small hole and Loki took it, a sharp jab and his dagger was between Aiden's ribs, he ducked away and a snap of his fingers set off an explosion, sending Aiden to the side.

This gave a pause in the fight, but nothing like a victory. Loki knew all he was doing was stalling. He was weak and still exhausted from all of the spells that he had cast just a few hours ago. One step wrong and he was dead, or captured. Neither were acceptable. It was his preparedness that kept Loki from taking a column of stone to the face as Aiden, with frightening strength, tore the column of the building and sent it flying at Loki.

The trickster dove to the side and rolled out of the building. He darted to his feet and backpedaled across the pavement as the column crashed into the wall inside, forcing it to bulge dangerously. Aiden stalked after him, tossing a blast of energy to take out the police car that barreled towards them. The champion made it obvious he had been toying with the god before as a moment later he had Loki on his back, a hand on this throat and the dagger Loki has just put in Aiden, in his own side instead, making him cry out for a brief moment in pain and surprise before he cut it off. Aiden's toothy grin was all that Loki could see as the champion sneered, "A pity they don't obey me. I would have great use for them." He twisted the dagger a bit, "Your face as I tortured you with them would be exquisite."

Loki's teeth grit, glaring up at the Chitauri champion, but before he could send the spit into Aiden's face the champion was sent flying off him as a rocket slammed into his chest.

"Did you have to use the rocket, Stark?" Came a voice he knew in passing, Captain America.

"It was absolutely necessary," answered Tony Stark's computer layered voice from within the Iron Man suit.

Loki shifted and rolled up into a sitting position, attempting to hide the wound and pulled the dagger out as he listened to them move towards him. There was a movement of his hand and the last of the magic in his sphere was spent as he healed the wound. The sphere disappeared from his hand, going to a safe keeper as he stood and turned to the two heroes.

Captain America held up his shield protectively and Iron Man just looked at him with what seemed to be impassivity, but Loki knew those dark eyes were accusing him of everything he was guilty of behind that mask. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, as his head snapped around at the scream that echoed from the building he had just come from. It was not the scream of people running, it was the scream of someone being tormented and Loki wasted no time as he took off to see what had happened.

They arrived only to find Aiden standing up from the German he had been after earlier, his left eye gone and Aiden grinning triumphantly over him, "Thank you, Captain, Iron Man. Your little stunt allowed me to realize that he had almost gotten away."

Tony wasted no time and fired a shot that Aiden just side stepped before he laughed and disappeared into one of the nearby shadows. Loki could only track him to the block's end, he was exhausted and out of energy. He looked to Steve and Tony as they looked at him. Steve was about to speak, Loki raising a hand, only to be shot to the ground by Tony. Steve looked at Tony is dismay, "Tony! What are you doing?"

Tony shrugged, "He was reaching for something," he said matter-of-factly.

Steve sighed heavily and shook his head, "Just knock it off."

The red, white, and blue covered superhero knelt over Loki who had a resign expression on his face, "Want to give me those daggers and come nicely? At least so Iron Man doesn't go trigger happy on you again."

"I was in the right," Tony shot back in a low voice.

Loki sighed and handed over the four daggers, "I doubt I have much of a choice," he paused, "Just don't touch the blades. Nick the wrong one and it doesn't like you, and you could be any of four things."

Steve stared at them with wide eyes, holding them out from himself as if they were living snakes. Loki stood, brushing himself off and firing Tony an icy glare before they moved to the quinjet, Natasha glancing back from the front of the ship.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"I don't like it," Steve said, "He has the tesseract. Why would he just let himself be captured? We don't even have his motive for taking it in the first place."

"Maybe Rock of Ages just wants to talk?" Tony said sarcastically, trying to keep himself in check.

Seeing Aiden stooped over Loki that way had made Tony's blood boil, dredging up the emotions that he had for trickster and putting his heart in his throat as he had seen the dagger in Loki's side, though there was no sign of a wound now. He had attacked before he thought when he fired off that rocket, but the shot at Loki before they left… That had just felt damned good.

"Tony, this is serious. He disappears, reappears, and then doesn't say a word to us once we're on the plane. This isn't right," Steve argued, blue eyes watching Loki just as closely as Tony.

Natasha frowned as lightening began striking around the jet, "Where the hell did this come from?" She murmured as the jet rocked.

They didn't get a chance to comment further as Loki jerked slightly and sat up, looking about the ceiling as lightening and thunder struck again, closer now. Steve tilted his head, "What's the matter, afraid of a little lightening?"

That was new, Tony thought; Loki had never jumped at it before. Loki glanced at them, "I'm not overly fond of what follows."

As if on queue something slammed onto the top of the quinjet. Steve yelled for them to open the back so they could figure what had happened. What they didn't expect was the towering, blonde haired, armor wearing, hammer-waving Asgardian that made Loki grimace in distaste. Thor sent Iron Man flying with one hit of his mace into Captain America before Thor reached forward and tore Loki from the chair he was in and jumped from the plane with Loki gripped tightly to him. The fall was a short enough one, Loki to preoccupied with trying to get out of Thor's hold before he was skidding across the earth to the edge of a cliff. Loki let out what one might call an insane laugh as Thor growled out, "Where is the tesseract, Loki!"

Loki shook his head, "Oh, it's good to see you too, Thor," beginning to sit up.

"This is not a game!" Thor snapped, dropping his hammer and pulling Loki to his feet.

"If anyone is aware of that, it is I, Thor. Not you," Loki snapped, knocking Thor's hands away as he got his feet under himself.

"Then why do you treat it as such? We know what happened when you fell into the aby-"

"Do you? Do you have any inkling of what happened to me? Can you even fathom what will come if Aiden succeeds?" Loki snarled back.

"Heimdall has looked, brother! He sees what the Chitauri are and their terror. You should have brought this to father!" Thor argued, leaning over Loki.

"Oh yes, because your father is so perfect and all-knowing, your father would listen to anyone, your father would give an ear to the wayward 'son' that he spent his entire life lying to!" Loki's voice raised as he spoke, from sharp, carefully picked words, to yelling back at Thor, not backing away as the God of Thunder flinched at each point, "He did tell you didn't he? His little secret?"

Loki pulled back slightly as Thor pursed his lips into a thin line and he finished off, "No, Thor, the Allfather would be the last person in the Nine Realms I would go to with this," and moved past him to put some distance between himself and the taller Asgardian.

"He raised us together. We played together under his watchful eyes. For years you and I fought together as brothers. Do you remember none of that?" Thor said, desperation lining his voice as blue eyes locked on Loki's retreating back.

Loki wasn't quite sure what Thor expected from him as he turned on his heel and countered, "I remember a shadow, living in the shade of your greatness and father's ever present, controlling hand. I was drowned under it until there was nothing left for me to do but grab hold on the scraps of debris that were left in the wake of the destruction you caused, he allowed, and I was expected to clean up after," Loki explained, breath heavy and expression a mix of sadness and inquiry, "Tell me, did anyone weep for the fall of the trickster?"

Thor's expression went from that of sadness and pity that Loki did not want to surprise and confusion, "Of course. We thought you dead. We all mourned your loss."

"Yes, and did you dare to look beyond the facade they all put on for you?" Loki shot back.

Rage twisted Thor's lips into a snarl as his hammer shot to his hand, "Listen here, bro-"

Before Thor could say a word more a familiar streak of red and gold took the God of Thunder for a short dive into the woods below. Loki leaned forward to nothing, "I'm listening," just because he could, before turning and grinning like a mad man as he sat down on the edge of the cliff to watch the show.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Thor tossed his cape back as he skidded to a halt and looked to the man in iron before him. He pointed to him as he stood, "Do not touch me again."

Tony shrugged with his arms out as his mask lifted, "Don't touch my stuff."

The god sneered as he straightened to his full height, "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Tony gave a considering look, then raised any eyebrow as he offered, "Shakespeare in The Park?" and posed, "Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?"

Thor growled, "Loki will return to Asgard to face our law."

The billionaire shrugged, "He gives back the tesseract and then maybe we'll talk," Loki winced slightly but he could expect little else for what he had done to Tony the night before.

Tony's mask clinked shut, "Till then, back off," Tony said and turned to begin walking away as he murmured, "Tourist."

The God of Thunder took a purposeful breath and with a raise of his hammer, sent it flying at Tony before following up with his own fist. Tony turned in time to take the hammer, followed by a harsh blow from the god's fist. Iron Man slid back before sending a shot at Thor along with his own punch, ignoring the flicker and glitch of his screens within his helm. Thor staggered back, mildly surprised and annoyed. He called Mjolnir back and Loki whistled a little as Thor held Mjolnir high, letting a bolt of lightening gather around him before tossing it at the Tony.

Tony grimaced and skidded slightly on the forest floor, but when the light and sparks had cleared a little flash of his power level read '475% capacity'. Tony grinned and said, "How 'bout that," and fired off all his repulsors at the god.

Thor flew back but got his feet under him before pushing off the tree and back at Tony. Blows flew once more, one of the two tended to be bodily in the air at any given time. There was even head butting involved that made Loki cringe from his audience perch. Thor had a notoriously thick skull; Tony's was no match for it, even with the helmet on.

It wasn't until the Captain ricocheted his shield off Thor's head and Tony's chest plate that the fight paused, "Hey! That's enough!" And looked to Thor, "Now, I don't know what you plan on doing here-"

Thor quickly cut in and said, "I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes and end the threat of the Chitauri."

Steve nodded, "Then prove it! Put the hammer down."

Tony held up his hands and stepped away, "Um, yeah, no! Bad call! He loves his hammer!"

Mjolnir flew and sent Iron Man sprawling as Thor turned fully to Steve and snarled out in his booming voice, "You want me to put the hammer down?"

The hammer raised and Thor took to the air before Loki could figure out what to do, knowing that look on Thor's face. He could only watch as the Captain ducked under his shield against the blow. The impact of Mjolnir on the vibranium shield sent Thor flying back, and created a wide crater of demolished trees around them. Steve stood as the other two fighters looked around them, "Are we done here?" He asked, and Thor nodded, a bit dazed.

~~~/~~~/~~~

They all stood or sat at the back of the bridge where the large meeting table was, Thor with his arms crossed solemnly. Steve sat forward with his hands laced before him, Tony drummed his fingers as he watched Thor curiously, mentally noting how different Thor was from Loki, Bruce was just behind him, Natasha was off to her side and Fury stood with his arms crossed and Maria at his elbow. Steve was the first to speak, "So tell us, what's his play Thor?"

Thor sighed a little, "I believe he's trying to protect us," he said.

"Protect us? From what?" Fury asked, his head tilting as his eye narrowed at Thor.

"When my brother fell into the Abyss that was wrought by the destruction of the Bifrost, he came in contact with a race called the Chitauri. From what we know they tried to convince him to lead their race in a war against earth. He declined and escaped. He came here and managed events so that if anything did happen, he could retrieve the tesseract first," Thor explained, relaying what Heimdall had been able to see.

"Well then it sounds like we're on the same side," Steve said, "Why won't he just tell us where it is?"

"He doesn't trust us," Tony said absently, drawing on past and present experience with the trickster, and looked at Thor, grinning, "Right?"

Thor nodded, "He has little reason to trust anyone, so he chooses to trust no one. "

"Well, if Loki has the tesseract hidden, then let it stay like that," Bruce said, everyone looking at him in surprise, "At… least until we can figure out what Aiden, the current, direct threat, is doing."

Thor nodded in agreement, "Aiden… His origin is unknown. He was once human, but now the Chitauri have changed him and made him their champion. He is here to do what Loki would not."

Fury asked, with a tilt of his head "But why would he need the iridium?"

"It's a stabilizing agent," Tony said, "Not only does it mean the portal won't collapse in on itself like it did before, it means that it can stay open as long and as wide as Aiden may want," the genius explained.

Bruce frowned as he listened, piping in, "He'd have to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier though."

Tony shifted towards Bruce, "Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet," the other scientist said skeptically.

Tony's eyebrows rouse, "His notes don't say anything about it, but who knows how Aiden's fucked with his brain by now."

Most of the others in the room had given up trying to fully understand what the two were talking about as Fury sighed, "That just means we have to find Aiden all the more urgently. If Selvig has figured that out, then he may only need the tesseract to complete his portal. We can't let that happen."

Steve thought a moment, "Loki was there fighting Aiden before we got there, though. How did he know he would be there? He must have some way of tracking him."

"You forget, Capsicle, he's not talking," Tony pointed out, smiling cheekily at the soldier who shot him a sharp glance.

Fury stepped towards Thor, "Do you think you could get him to tell us?"

Thor sighed, "I fear I could not."

"Please try. All other avenues are shot at this point," Fury asked with a slightly pleading expression.

The god nodded slowly, "All right."

~~~/~~~/~~~

As Thor was carted off to talk to Loki, Tony and Bruce returned to the lab. The equations were a welcomed distraction in comparison to the thoughts that made him want to waltz down to Loki's prison and do three things:

1. Punch him.  
2. Demand why he didn't trust him.  
3. Kiss him… And other things. Because he just looked so damned good with that long dark hair and armor.

The last one goaded him endlessly. He wanted so much to hate Loki, and he did, but he still loved him too. Having Bruce there was a godsend. He could focus on the man's inability to trust himself, instead of his own inability to accept that Loki had been lying and using him and move on. He punched a few things into the computer before saying, "You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime. Top ten floors, all R and D. You'd love it, it's candy land."

A slight smile played over the other's lips, "Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke... Harlem."

The billionaire grinned at that, "Well, I promise a stress free environment. No tension. No surprises."

Bruce laughed and shook his head, "It'd be nice if it were that easy."

The smile pulled wider across Tony's lips as the other scientist laughed and said, "I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart," and moved over to the other scientist, tapping the blue glow beneath his shirt, "This stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a... terrible privilege."

Bruce stood and moved over to a screen next to Tony, "But you can control it," he pointed out.

"Because I learned how," Tony countered, moving to the other side of the see-through screen Bruce had just moved to.

"It's different," Bruce said and tried to read the computer screen, but Tony would have none of it and slid the data aside.

"I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you," Tony said with narrowed eyes, hands on his hips.

Bruce frowned a little as he said, "Oh, so you're saying that the Hulk... the other guy... saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Save it for what?" He just barely kept from spitting out that last sentence.

"I guess we'll find out," Tony said with a tiny shrug and a quirk of his eyebrows before he moved back to his own work.

There was a short pause as Bruce added, "You might not like that."

"You just might," Tony shot back almost absently, before moving back over to his own work.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki sat on the bench in the circular prison. He had managed a short nap that allowed enough energy regeneration for him to be a bit more aware. After the entire ordeal he felt drain and he was very careful to make sure all his magic was being well contained and stored. He needed every scrap he could get his hands on right now. He looked up as he heard the door open to the outer room. Fury stood there, watching him for a moment before stepping aside and letting Thor move past him. Loki sighed and rolled his eyes, "Better to just leave and go about your own, Thor. I have nothing more to say to you."

"Brother-" Thor started.

"I am not your brother," Loki cut him off, green eyes staring at the ceiling and refusing to look at Thor because he knew that hurt-puppy look would be there, "I never was."

"To me you are. So I will continue to call you by it," Thor said firmly and he moved up, the door to the circular cell opening so that he could step in.

Fury closed the door behind him before saying, "Let me know when you need out."

Thor nodded and waited until Fury and his men were gone before continuing, "What can I do, brother? What _could_I do?"

"Odin's head on a pike for what he did," Loki snapped.

"Loki..." Thor trailed off, sighing softly.

"Or maybe, yes, how about the great and powerful Allfather admit he was wrong? How about that?" Loki said, sarcasm lacing his voice as he looked over finally and stood, "Oh, but that is just as impossible," his eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line.

Thor took a deep breath, "I did not come here to fight, Loki."

"Then what _did_you come for, Thor?" Loki asked, taking a step toward him, eyes narrowed, "Because fates know it was not for a chat."

Thor's jaw clenched, "I do want to make things right brother. I know what father did was wrong, even if he will not acknowledge it. Please stop for a moment and let us talk."

Loki gave him a defiant look, "You talk with your fists, Thor. You're words are often a jumble."

A moment later Loki was slammed back into the glass with a snarling Thor an inch from his face and his arm at his throat. Loki's vision swam and he quickly tried to shake it away, but Thor had already seen the lapse and stopped. His expression softened, then fell, "I knew you weak, but this... You once stood toe to toe with me, but now you are weak as a babe."

"And you only just noticed," Loki snapped, thrusting Thor from him, rubbing his throat and the bruise that was creating there, his head still ringing.

"Who did this? How has it been done?" Thor demanded.

Loki rolled his eyes, "Figure it out Thor!" He snarled, "Think! Use that shriveled up piece of meat between your ears for one moment in time!"

Thor's jaw worked before he finally said, "A-an inhibiting spell. But only father would have the power to suppress you."

"Then keep thinking. You'll get it eventually. Now leave and tell Fury to find Aiden on his own," Loki said.

Thor at least knew when his once-brother would say no more and called Fury to let him out of Loki's prison.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"Let me guess, he didn't give you anything," Fury said with a sigh as they moved back to the bridge.

Thor replied grimly, eyes focused ahead as he tried to wrap himself around how weak his brother was, "You were watching, you should know."

Fury glanced back, "But we know he's weak now."

Thor looked over immediately and grabbed Fury's arm with a harsh look, "You will not touch my brother."

Fury stopped moving and gave Thor a hard look, "No, we won't, but every piece of information is useful."

There was a moment of contemplation on Thor's face before he nodded and released the ex-spy, only to be thrown to the side as an explosion rocked the helicarrier, "The hell..." Fury began, and then was racing for the bridge with Thor on his heels.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Fury arrived on the bridge with Thor, yelling out, "Damage report!" As he stalked to the helm.

"Engine number three is offline entirely and there's a few levels of damage, primarily around the labs," Coulson listed off.

Maria cut in as she leaned over one of the other helmsmen, "It looks like the engine can work again, but it has to be repaired from the outside."

"Stark, Captain, I want you on engine three, get it working," Fury called out.

Two affirmatives came back to him and he looked to Maria, "Where is Dr. Banner?"

"In the utility rooms below the labs. According to Agent Romanov the other guy is out," Maria explained as she moved over to her own station, her hands flying over her touchscreen.

Fury touched his communicator, "Natasha, can you hear me?"

"Yes sir," came her hushed voice.

"Keep him busy, I'm sending help," And he turned to Thor, "I would ask you to help with Dr. Banner."

Thor gave a curt nod, "Understood," and turned on his heel and left the bridge to find the scientist.

Fury turned back to the bridge, "Now get us over the water! We do not need to be landing on civilians if another engine goes."

He barely got that out before an explosion sent him and Maria to the side and gunshots sounded on the bridge as men dressed in SHIELD uniforms began storming the bridge.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden watched the chaos unfold in the wake of Clint and his men's attack. They scattered and ran, so fitting. He moved through the ship, shadow to shadow, watching pieces unfold as he did his own work. He reached the lab where Bruce Banner and Tony Stark had been working and carefully placed the blood-smeared notes on the counters. He used one of their little tinkering instruments to make sure they didn't go unnoticed. When he looked up a little smile touched his lips. He could see his daughter, Melony, dancing about the lab, smiling at him, singing a lullaby her mother had taught her. As she sang, he hummed with her and followed her from the lab.

All night, all day,  
Angels watching over me, my Lord.  
All night, all day,  
Angels watching over me.

Sun is a-setting in the West;  
Angels watching over me, my Lord.  
Sleep my child, take your rest;  
Angels watching over me.

She was so beautiful, long blonde hair like her mother's and his own bright, sky blue eyes like he had once had. A few of her front teeth were missing, having lost them to the adult molars that were coming in and made her smile that much more endearingly beautiful. He followed her to the Captain's quarters where he set a similar note on his desk, setting the locket he held so dear over the corner. He turned as Melony giggled at him from the door, still singing as she moved away, expecting him to follow.

All night, all day,  
Angels watching over me, my Lord.  
All night, all day,  
Angels watching over me.

He followed her to the bridge to watch the fight there. He grinned as he watched Fury's battle hardened face and Maria's determined expression as gunfire was exchanged. He set the final note on the debriefing table, a little spell making sure it didn't go anywhere until it was noticed. With a soft hum he continued after his daughter as his glowing eyes looked for a seed to plant. Once Melony found a spot she liked he settled down with her on his lap and waited for the appropriate moment.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Natasha took slow even breaths as she tucked the fear away and watched the Hulk mill about, looking for her, for something to direct its rage at. She needed to keep him preoccupied till Fury sent appropriate 'help'. She wasn't sure what he had in mind, but she would need it soon. She gasped softly as she scrambled back as the pipe she had been crouching on was taken out from under her and crushed as Hulk's enraged yelling and snarling followed after her. He tore apart whatever she was moving over in an attempt the grasp her. She swung across the pipes and beams, keeping something between them before ducking under a walk way and firing a shot at the pipe in front of him, sending a cloud of steam in front of him, confusing him enough for her to hide away.

She crept around him, gun at the ready. It wouldn't do anything but it made her feel better. The Hulk was searching again, sometimes nicely, other times destructively. She glanced around looking for something that she could use to possibly keep the Hulk busy, but that was hard when the person you wanted busy just destroyed everything in his path. She was distracted enough that she almost missed the fist that nearly turned her head to mush. She managed to duck and roll away before taking off, skidding into a turn as she went down a hall of arches and cluttered machinery. It did little to stop the Hulk as he barreled after her and a swipe sent her flying into a wall. Her head swam and she blinked rapidly to try to clear her vision as she tried to get up. But the Hulk was faster and her eyes widened as he came at her...

Only for a certain blond god to take the Hulk through a wall.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Thor had been surprised to see the green monster that Bruce Banner had become. So this was why the human's so feared him. With a determined look as the Hulk turned his attention on the crumpled form of Natasha, he raced at him with his fist. He took the Hulk through the neighboring wall before the Hulk sent him through a stacked case of supplies nearby. He wiped a touch of blood from his nose, and then reached out his hand as he called for Mjolnir, a grin touching his lips. The Hulk charged at him and the moment Mjolnir was in Thor's hand he swung, nailing his opponent squarely across the jaw.

~~~/~~~/~~~

SMASH!

~~~/~~~/~~~

Fury sent off two more shots as the pilots fought to get the Helicarrier over water and Maria tried to find where the arrows were coming from. Fury stepped to the side and touched his communicator, "Coulson! Find Natasha and get her on Barton! Now!"

"Yes sir," came through the communicator, the voice calm and collected as always.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Coulson motioned for the two agents with him to follow as they finished making sure the storage area was free of people for Hulk and Thor to fight, or destroy, however one wanted to look at it. They raced up to the lab first to search. The lab was empty, a giant hole in the floor where Natasha and Bruce had fallen, but otherwise there was no way to get down to the utility room from here. He stopped as he saw the two little notes on the tables though, each held down by a tool or device that Banner and Stark had used that day. Carefully, he moved over to pick one up and open it, only to drop it back to the counter in shock. He swallowed hard as his mind raced. He looked at the other one, and then at the agents, "Both of you, go down below and find Agent Romanov," he ordered.

The two agents exited the room with sharp nods and he moved over to the second note. He closed his eyes after looking it over and folded it carefully before taking each and tucking them gently in his coat pocket. He touched his communicator in his ear and said, "Sir, we have an issue."

"I have a lot of issues right now Coulson. What is it?" Fury answered, the sound of the fight behind him.

"Aiden has ransom," Coulson answered as he moved back towards the storage hangers where Thor and the Hulk were.

He could hear Fury growl in frustration, more shots were heard, "Do what you have to, Coulson."

"Yes sir," the agent said curtly.

~~~/~~~/~~~

One shot of that damnable bow and the computer screens became jumbled and useless as red lights began to flash and a pilot yelled, "Engine 2 is gone!"

Fury closed his eyes and touched his ear piece, "Captain..!"

~~~/~~~/~~~

"How much more debris, Stark?" Steve yelled as he stood on lookout by the red lever.

"Almost there, then I'll jump start it," Tony yelled back, kicking a piece out of the way, before laser cutting through another piece.

Steve grit his teeth, knowing he couldn't do anything for the moment. He looked down as he saw three SHIELD agents move out and one toss a grenade. He jumped across the gap and knocked it out of the way and ducked the following gunshots. Not SHIELD agents. He grit his teeth in determination, swinging down and knocking one out of the ship, hearing his scream as he fell to his death. He sent a solid punch to the second soldier wrenched his gun from him before swinging up onto the upper walkway and firing off two shots, killing the second intruder.

He backed up to the red lever Tony had specified earlier, gun at the ready as the third and final soldier and he exchanged shots. A sudden shift in the ship and he was falling then, footing lost. He managed to grab hold of the wire his hand found and held on for dear life. With a determined narrowing of his eyes he crawled back in, hearing, "Cap, hit the lever!"

Tony had finally managed to get the engine jump-started and his eyes darted about in panic as the propeller he had been pushing a moment before slowly got away from him. Swallowing, he murmured, "Uh-oh," and the propeller behind him slammed into his back and he was dragged under.

Steve gave a triumphant yell as he grabbed the lever and pulled, only to duck again as a shot hit right next to his face. Tony dropped out of the bottom of the engine and he briefly glanced the helicarrier as it began to right itself and flew down to where Steve was and quickly dive-bombed the final shooter. He lay on the floor with a sigh, "This day could not get worse," he mumbled to himself.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Thor took a few breaths as he straightened, blue eyes locked on Hulk as they circled one another. They were at a stand still, neither able to beat the other and were just destroying the area around them. He had to figure out how to knock him out or talk some reason into him. It was the sound of Agent Coulson on a loud speaker that stopped both of them, "Dr. Banner!"

The agent seemed to have no fear as he walked through the debris of their fighting and towards them as if it were nothing. He was holding a piece of paper and photograph high for them to see, "Dr. Banner. You need to calm down. If only for Betty's sake."

That got Hulk moving towards him with a roar. Coulson didn't flinch as he said, "Aiden has her."

Hulk's fist smashed the ground next to Coulson as the agent stopped before the growling green monster several times his size. The agent just held the note before the Hulk's face and said again, "Aiden has Betty."

Thor blinked widely as he watched the Hulk transform from a stampeding green monster to a stumbling, naked man. Banner stumbled exhaustedly into Coulson, the Agent catching him. Banner snatched the paper from Coulson and his face fell. Betty's handwriting, in blood his still ringing senses could tell, was a note:

_Find the tesseract to save my life. Save my sanity. Or both you and I will know his pain._

_-Betty._

Blood smeared the edges of the note and a fingerprint in blood was next to her signature. There was a picture of her writing the note, tears on her face, hair in disarray, and rope burns on her wrists. Bruce looked at Coulson one last time as his body finally gave out, "Betty," and he was gone.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Fury smiled triumphantly as the carrier began to right itself and with a final shot he nailed the last agent, only to have to dive aside as one last bomb went off. Maria flew over the railing and skidded to a halt as she clutched her side, that last bomb having gone off closest to her. When she looked up though, she was no longer on the bridge. She look around as she sat up, black on all sides with just what looked like a window where she was looking through to the bridge, "Interesting way to view the world isn't it?" Came a deep voice behind her.

She snapped around and her eyes went wide as she scrambled back. Aiden stepped forward and advised, "Don't go too far, there's only so much solid ground in the shadows."

She stopped as she found that edge, heel of her hand dipping unexpectedly, then stood quickly, "What do you want?"

"Oh, it's not about what I want, right now. It's about what you want," He said, smiling with his blackened teeth and leaning forward.

She leaned back from him, grimacing, "What are you talking about?"

"What you want. It bleeds off you, from every crack and crevice of your being," he said as he circled her, lightly sniffing, "Power."

Maria gave a pathetic half laugh, "I have enough power."

"Oh no you don't. Not for you liking," he whispered.

It was a seed that slipped into her ear and nestled there, egging her on, stroking her ego. No one would see the difference. He grabbed her arm and turned her gently to look out at the bridge and he leaned over her shoulder, pointing to Fury, "You want that."

She swallowed hard, unable to deny it. He grinned, chuckling low, "And when you are ready to have it, you come to me."

He then shoved her forward and back onto the bridge of the helicarrier. Maria stumbled into the light, breathing heavily, eyes wide and sweat dotting her forehead. She turned and pressed a hand to the wall where the shadow was. Nothing. Her tongue felt thick and dry as she replayed the words in her head before shaking herself and looking up, racing over to her station. No one had noticed her disappearance or her reaction to her return, thankfully. She would tell no one either. She was not compromised.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The doors to Loki's chamber swished open and Aiden stepped in, footsteps giving a soft, ominous thump as he looked the god over. Loki stood in the center of his cell, stance steady and eyes fixed ahead as his hands remained folded behind him neatly and a chain running from his left ankle to the side of the chamber as a further assurance he would go nowhere. Aiden sneered and reached up, hand slamming a piece of paper onto the glass, a note written in a familiar script, all in blood. Loki glanced at the note, then looked up at him and said sharply, "You have Amilia."

"Mmm, I do. Nice to know I was right in thinking you wouldn't need the picture accompaniment," Aiden said with a smile, "Now, tell me where the tesseract is."

"I don't know anymore," Loki said, and gave him a smile.

Aiden's smile fell, "Then she will pay in blood for your carelessness."

"So hasty, Aiden," he said and stepped forward, chain rattling as he moved, "I may not know where it is now. But I can help you find it."

Aiden leaned forward on the railing, "Then tell me and I'll release her."

"Release her and I'll show you. Besides, you hold Chitauri magic. You need Jotun magic," he said and gestured to himself with a tilt of his head.

Aiden laughed loudly, "Or I could just take you."

"But then you'll have to find a way to get me to talk, whereas if you just let her go… say, bring her here, I'll help willingly," Loki offered with an amicable smile.

Aiden looked him over, twisting blue eyes considering him for a moment, then he tipped his head slightly and waved his hand. Amilia gasped as she appeared. Her eyes darted about, then landed on Loki and she tried to move forward, "My Lo-" only to be backhanded to the ground by Aiden.

Loki made no indication that he even noticed the blow, eyes locked on Aiden. Aiden laughed as she sat up, blood coming from her lips as she stood again. Her expression hardened over as dark eyes looked at Loki calmly, using him to ground her emotions. The champion turned back to Loki and kept his eyes on the god as he moved over to the cell door and opened it. He stood expectantly looking at Loki who didn't move. The god raised his eyebrows and gestured to the chain on his ankle, "I mean, I can't come out while I'm chained, and I-"

"Quiet," Aiden snarl and stormed into the chamber, only to swirl around on his heel as the door closed behind him.

He turned to Loki as the trickster spoke, voice low and dark, "You actually thought I would help you?" And his green eyes darted to the side.

Aiden turned, rage on his face as he slammed against the glass, a crack filtering over the surface and making the cell shift. The black figure that appeared out of what seemed like nowhere pressed a few buttons to open the area below them and flipped up the cover to the large, red button that would drop them. Loki walked around Aiden, the chain around his ankle gone, "I am the God of Lies."

"Then I will make sure you start to enjoy the taste of a gag," Aiden spat back as he turned back to face him.

Loki said nothing as he looked at the figure again and the red button was pressed. The moment the chamber cleared the bottom of the helicarrier it began twisting and turning over itself with the currents of wind. Loki was tossed around the cell like a ragdoll while Aiden raged against every side he came in contact with. But as the ground came closer he began to focus on the spot he had hit the first time, fist slamming into the glass with unrestrained force. He finally grabbed Loki around the waist and broke through the glass wall and flew threw the air until he landed with a rough tumble through the dirt, Loki next to him. Loki coughed and groaned as he started to get to his feet, his body aching from head to toe from the impact. He could do little more as his hair was grabbed and he was wrenched up, his hands moving to grasp the hand in surprise. Aiden's gravely voice spoke in his ear, "Oh, I will enjoy your torment, Loki."


	8. Chapter 7

[Author Note: Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing! This was a tough chapter to write. In the words of many tumblr users 'SO MANY FEELS'.

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. **The following has been added to the warnings: There is torture at the end of chapter seven. It's not too much, but it is somewhat graphic and can be skipped if you are so inclined. However, you will miss a few points on Aiden's character and a realization on Loki's part.**

Another thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

* * *

Chapter 7

~~~/~~~/~~~

The dust was settling, Tony and Steve were coming in, Bruce was unconscious, but would more than likely be up and moving soon, Natasha had Clint knocked out and they should have the last engine back on line soon while Coulson would have the other notes to him soon. Fury had found one for Thor on the conference table. How it got there, he wasn't sure, but with the chaos that had been the bridge and how Aiden appeared and disappeared, he wasn't that surprised. Maria gasped, making Fury looked over to her as she turned, "Sir! Loki's cell! It was just dropped from the carrier!"

Fury's eyes widened in disbelief, "What?"

Thor, who had just arrived, stopped cold, "Loki…?"

"And there are... two unrecognized people in the room," she said.

Thor was gone before Fury had a chance to get an order out, "You two," he pointed to two agents nearest him, "With me. Hill, get that last engine back online, now!" He snapped and stormed through the halls after Thor.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Thor skidded across to a halt in front of the door where Loki had been held swung into the room only to stare at the space where the cell had been, a lost look on his face. He took a shaken breath before looking at the two figures that stood on the platform near the control panel. One was a small woman with blood on her lips, a bruise creating across her jaw, and a taller man completely in black, a mask tugged off to reveal impassive features that stared at the god, watching his every move. Thor stepped forward, "Wh-what happened? Why-?" He tried but was cut off as Fury arrived.

The director glanced over the room and looked at the two unknowns and came up just behind the still stricken Thor. One person he knew from the information on Thomas Maes, "Ms. Amilia Hess?"

Hard brown eyes looked over at him to confirm her identity as she leaned into the man behind her who simply allowed it. Fury's lips set in a grim line and he looked to the man, "And you?"

He said simply, "Veli Pekkanen."

Thor finally seemed to gather himself as he demanded, "What happened?"

Amilia started to speak, but her voice cracked. She stopped and took a breath before beginning again, "Aiden had taken me, he was planning to trade me for information on where the tesseract was. Loki convinced him to take him instead. Veli dropped them."

The asgardian's fists clenched and Fury took over, placing what he hoped was a commanding and calmly hand on the god's forearm, "Why did you drop them, Veli? The chamber-"

"Would not have contained him for long," Veli cut in, "Aiden is more powerful than you know. Our Lord did not wish to risk anything in your hands."

"We are not an organization of fools, Mr. Pekkanen. We-"

Veli laughed, the sudden shift from no expression to a disparaging grin slightly jarring, "And yet Aiden would have the tesseract and an army of hell-creature by now if not for-"

"_Veli stop,"_ Amilia said shortly in Finnish.

Veli immediately stopped and his face returned to impassivity in the bat of an eyelash. Amilia spoke again, though there was little emotion behind the words, "I apologize, Director Fury."

Fury just held up a hand, expression hard and eyes narrowed at Veli, "Lets get you patched up, then we'll talk," he said as he refocused on the smaller woman.

Thor was watching them with questioning eyes, as if he wished to continue the inquisition regardless of Fury's command, but at the tug from Fury's hand he turned and moved away. The agents that had been just behind them moved over to Amilia and Veli and escorted them away while Fury took Thor back to the bridge.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Fury watched each of the people around the table. Bruce looked a mix of defeated and antsy. The scientist already knew a part of what was going on but not all of it. Tony was rubbing his forehead, obviously tired and annoyed, Steve was watching Fury grimly, Natasha stood off to the side with her arms crossed over her chest and Thor stood anxiously in the back. Fury clenched his jaw and said, "Not only have we lost the one person that knew how to track Aiden or where the tesseract is," he walked slowly around the table, "Aiden sent a message."

He moved around the table, handing each of the notes before their owners. Bruce just gripped his tightly, the paper crinkling. Tony grabbed his and instantly deflated, "Fuck, Pepper," he said and racked a hand back through his hair, "Is this blood?"

Fury nodded, "It is."

Tony's jaw clenched and the director was actually slightly surprised at the pure, heated rage he saw on Tony's face for a moment. Irritation, arrogance, sarcasm, and many others he had seen, but never that split second of anger that could not be contained.

Steve took his as if it would burn him and dropped it just as fast, "Sharon," he murmured, more for anyone else that himself and one hand covered his face for a moment.

Sharon Carter was the niece of Peggy Carter and a SHIELD operative. She had gotten close to the Captain over the last few months as Steve tried to re-connect with his past and find some form of footing in the new world. Fury turned to Thor and handed him his note. Thor closed his eyes for a moment as he took it and barely opened the corner before he spoke, "Jane."

The demi-god didn't look at the rest of the note, just held onto it as he looked out the large windows beyond the bridge, blue eyes containing the emotion that rippled across his jaw. Fury gave them a moment to let it sink in as he moved to the front of the table, "He wants us to find the tesseract, more than likely he didn't believe that Loki would actually barter for Amilia Hess's-"

"Amilia?" Tony looked up, "He took her?"

Fury frowned and gave the billionaire a considering look, "Something you're not telling us?"

Tony rolled his eyes while internally cursing his slip, "They're one of the biggest security companies in the world. We're rivals and occasionally we had to deal with them. We only ever dealt with Ms. Hess though. Good woman from what I remember," _mostly_, he finished to himself.

Fury gave him a skeptical look, but let it go for now. SHIELD had been trying for months to get into the Maes's operation when Thomas Maes had appeared, but they had never been able to get past the entry level. They nearly had, once, but that had ended so fast it was almost frightening, "Loki bartered himself for her life from what the tapes show, then proceeded to coax him into the chamber and the man named Veli Pekkanen dropped them from the ship. Now it's a matter of who finds it first, us, or will he drag it out of Loki?"

"Loki will not talk," Thor said firmly.

"Are you sure?" Fury asked.

Thor nodded, "If my brother is anything he is stubborn and determined. He hates Aiden and the Chitauri more than he hates myself."

Fury nodded, "All right. First, we need to question Hess and Pekkanen. Tony, Natasha, Steve, you're with me. Bruce, I want you back on those algorithms. Thor, is there anyone back in Asgard that might have some information on tracking Aiden?"

"I can see if I can contact Heimdall, but there are no guarantees right now. The energy needed to contact anyone in Asgard is unsteady at best," Thor offered.

Fury nodded, "Please, try."

Thor nodded and turned, moving from the room to go outside and onto the runway. Bruce stood and said softly, "I'll get to the lab," and was gone without another sound.

Tony looked up after Bruce and Thor had left and pointed to Natasha, "Wait, how come you didn't get one of these?" he asked.

"He already gave me mine," She said softly.

Steve understood, "Clint."

A tiny nod was confirmation enough. Tony nodded minutely in return. The spy left silently, probably to check on Clint before they went to talk to Amilia and Veli. As he glanced over at the clouds he could feel his heart pounding in his ribcage. They had Pepper and Loki and no one had any idea how attached he was to Loki still. No one could know cause they'd take him out of the equation so fast he'd be in his penthouse in New York before he could blink. He just hoped Amilia realized that.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Natasha peered into the cell Clint was in, strapped to the bed and squirming as he fought the restraints. She knew he was still coming out of it, but it worried her. Her features softened as he tossed his head back against the pillow, his expression taking on a desperate, worried look for a moment before he seemed to pass out again. The spy straightened and moved back to the bridge. When she got her hands on Aiden she would make sure he paid.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony looked Amilia over and he winced slightly at the bruise that was appearing on the left side of her jaw and lower lip. She had taken a hard blow to the face and had a pack of ice she was dabbing on it gently. She smiled lopsidedly as they came in and set the ice down. The man beside her, Veli, was expressionless in the same way Natasha often was, allowing nothing but what he wanted beyond his mask. Fury smiled slightly at Amilia and gave a curt nod to Veli as he said, "Ms. Hess, Mr. Pekkanen, this is Steve Rogers," Steve nodded to them as he sat down.

"I believe you know Tony Stark," he added.

Amilia nodded as Tony waved slightly with a short, "Hi," and sat down across from them.

"And this is Natasha Romanov," He finished.

Natasha's eyes were locked on Veli and Veli's on her as she said, "Hanging Harbinger."

"Black Widow," he returned.

They nodded to one another. Fury raised an eyebrow at Natasha, "He was once the lead assassin of the Russian Mafia. Then he just disappeared. Surprisingly, the Mafia didn't put up much of a fight for you either. Now I see why."

Veli gave a tiny shrug and Amilia smiled in an almost proud manner. Fury nodded, "I see," then leaned forward on the table, "Ms. Hess, we need any information you can give us about where Aiden took you or any of the others that were taken with you."

Her expression turned dark as she cleared her throat, "There really isn't much. He took me through the shadows. I was at the Maes's mansion in Rognan, Norway when he knocked me out. I barely remember being dragged… into a shadow, before I was over someone's shoulder and moving. Next I was being shoved into a cell and there were other women there. Ms. Potts was there," she glanced at Tony, "And Betty, Jane and Sharon."

"There was no indication of where you were?" Fury pressed.

She shook her head, "The cells were clean and no windows. I had no idea where we were," warm eyes glanced at Tony and she said softly, "I am sorry that you now have two to worry of…"

Tony's eyes widened and he tried to convey for her to stop with a tight expression, but she trailed off too late. His eyes darted over to the other people in the room, Steve looked confused, Natasha was looking at him with her brow knit and expecting an explanation, and Fury was just staring at him, waiting. He let his palm cradle his forehead as he shot the surprised Amilia a dark look and sunk in his chair. He heard a breath pulled in and then, to his surprise, Amilia began speaking first, "You… You didn't tell them?"

He looked up but before he could say anything she took over, "You slack-jawed, spoil-brained motherless bastard! Do you have any idea at all what he went through for you? No, of course not, you're too busy wallowing in self-pity and your own arrogant self-righteousness that you didn't take two spits of a second to see a larger picture," she had crawled onto the table, her tiny form now towering with the added height of the table as her face shadowed over, enhancing the look of rage and unhinged despise that twisted her features.

Tony stood and opened his mouth to speak, but she grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him forward, leaning over to be just a few inches from him as she bellowed, "I'm not done with you yet! You think you're the only person with issues and problems, with holes in his very soul placed there by the people that were supposed to love him? Oh yes, of course you do, because no one has had it worse than poor, pathetic Anthony Stark. Perhaps that's why your father gave so little attention to you and your desperate pleas for his approval. There-"

"Amilia," came Veli's sharp voice.

She stopped and snapped her jaw shut with a sharp click of her teeth, "You're done," Veli finalized.

Amilia let Tony slip from her grasp and he stumbled slightly, his expression shocked as he had no idea what to say or do, a little terrified of what may have happened if Veli had allowed her to continue. His mind darted back to after Pepper had spoken with Loki over lunch and was silently grateful that Loki had never unleashed the tiny woman on him purposefully. Amilia turned on her heel, bare feet thumping on the wood (she hadn't had any shoes on when she was taken and still had not been given any) before she dropped into her chair once more, arms crossed as she pouted like a petulant child that had been denied a reward. Tony finally looked around as he pulled his jaw closed. He saw that Steve had backed up and was staring at Amilia wide-eyed, Fury had pushed back as well but was staring at Tony with his arms crossed languidly over his chest and a little, satisfied smirk on his lips, and Natasha looked like she wanted to hug Amilia. He swallowed hard and slowly sat down, trying to gather himself after that verbal assault. Fury leaned forward and said to Amilia, "Thank you, Ms. Hess. For being one of the few people I've met to get Tony Stark to shut up."

Amilia gave him a simple nod, eyes focused on Veli and Natasha said, "I see why you like her."

Veli smiled wide at that, "Hands off."

"You keep your toys, I'll keep mine," She said, raising an eyebrow.

Veli nodded. Fury stood then, "We'll talk more later. For the moment, I think we need to talk to _Mr. Stark_."

Tony hated it when Fury said his name like that.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Bruce and Thor had joined them at the conference table again, Bruce mostly because he needed to know this and Thor, because it was his brother. Bruce had just sighed at the news and Thor looked like he was still trying to process it. Tony had been in a relationship, a very intimate relationship, with Loki and neither had told anyone. Somehow they had even managed to keep it from SHIELD and the entirety of the world.

"You purposefully left out information that was important to the over all mission and you expect me to not want to toss you out the god damned window?" Fury snarled at Tony.

Tony's jaw was locked, his stance and expression defensive, "The guy basically left me to figure out that he was a Norse god bent on stealing the tesseract the night he did it. And he did it in the worst, most indirect manner possible! Do you think I would want to help him or 'aide' him in any fashion? Hell, ask Steve, when we met in Germany I blasted his ass."

"True," Steve affirmed.

Fury closed his eye and took a deep breath, "How long were you together?"

"Seven months, give or take. The guy's great in bed, you know," Tony said.

That seemed to snap Thor out of his stupor and he stepped forward, righteous fury on his face as he leaned over Tony, "You have deflowered my brother?" He roared.

Tony stopped cold with a surprised and confused expression on his face before he managed, "De..flowered? You're kidding right?" He said, scooting back slightly as he looked up at the towering demi-god.

"I am not," Thor snapped.

"You should be because there is no way in hell Loki was a virgin and able to the things he did. I mean, there was this awesome technique he used with his ha-"

"_Tony_!" Steve cut in, the man was a brilliant shade of red and his face a mix of utterly embarrassed and completely horrified.

Tony froze, his hands in a very suggestive setting as he looked around the room; people were either shaking their heads, red-faced, or, in Thor's case, didn't seem to quite know what to do with the information. He held up his hands as he shrugged, "What?"

Fury cut in with a grumble, "Well, you're lucky I can't throw you off this now. You have two people in the mix that you are attached to, regardless of if it is love, hate, or the thin line in between. You'd probably try to save them on your own if I kicked you," Fury snapped, a grumble ending the comment and making Tony smile victoriously for a moment.

Tony scraped his hand through his hair as Fury's eyes narrowed dangerously and said, "Fine great, can I go now, mom?"

Fury straightened and looked at Bruce, then at Tony, "Go work on the damn algorithm," and turned to move back onto the bridge.

Tony looked at Thor who had stepped back and was just glaring at him now, but Bruce stepped around him and jerked his head in the direction of the door, "Come on," and Tony went with him, shaking his head at Thor.

The man seemed to barely know his brother.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The four girls, Pepper, Betty, Jane, and Sharon, all looked up as the door to their cell block opened and Aiden stepped in. Pepper jerked forward, "Where is Amilia? What have you done to her?" She demanded.

The small woman had barely spoken when they had all woken up in their cells, specifically ignoring Pepper's glowering stares. However, when the shadows had seemed to reach out and swallow her, all of them could only stare in horror as she had glanced up at them in barely hidden terror before she was gone.

Aiden sneered, "Her employer made his bid."

He opened the cell Amilia had been in and a moment later Loki was escorted in. Pepper's eyes were wide as she looked him over. Dirt was scraped across his features and clothes with a few bruises visible at his neck, what he was wearing looked like leather and metal armor in shades of black, gold and green, but his hands were held in shackles that covered from his wrist to his elbow and a metal gag covered his mouth, hooked over the bridge of his nose, under his chin and locked behind his head. The bars were closed and Aiden reached up to lean against them as Loki turned and glare at him. Aiden tilted his head, then a blue barrier spread out from his hand and encircled the cell. He hadn't used it on their cells, but they were just humans. Loki seemed to need more containment in Aiden's opinion.

Aiden leaned forward as Loki watched the shield cover the cell, "You will pay dearly for your treachery."

Loki gave a mocking shrug of his shoulders and Aiden just laughed, "We'll see how long that attitude lasts," and left in a flutter of armor and robes.

Pepper stared at Loki intently and Loki's eyes locked on her, looking her over. She frowned as she saw an odd droop of his shoulders, was that relief? She brushed it aside and stepped forward, her mouth opening to speak. The look Loki gave her made her snap her jaw shut almost instantly. The green eyes were clear in their message that silence was better.

"Pepper?" Jane asked beside her, leaning around the wall of her cell between the bars, "Does this mean Amilia got out?"

Pepper turned to Loki, "Did she?"

Loki nodded solemnly as he moved to sit on the floor and leaned against the back wall. Pepper let out a breath of relief, Jane and the other two letting out relieved sounds that there really was a chance for all of them if one of them gotten out. However, the relief didn't last long, each of them realizing in their own time the price that Loki was probably going to pay for Amilia.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden knelt before the Other, once again on the barren rocks of their home, "I will have the tesseract soon, my lord. I also have the traitor now."

The Other turned at that and smiled widely, "Good, that's very good. What do you have in store for him?"

"Many things, my lord. All will be slow and drawn out. As you have taught me," he said with a bow of his head.

"Excellent. However, you will have to let some of those plans wait," the Other said, waving his hand dismissively.

Aiden frowned, "But why?"

"Because you do not have the tesseract yet, and our forces grow impatient. Now that you have the traitor you can use him and the scepter we gave you," the six-fingered hand gestured to it, "to create a single transport and start bringing them through one by one."

Aiden nodded slowly, then looked up out of the corner of his eyes, "It will pain him?"

The smile widened, "Greatly."

~~~/~~~/~~~

Bruce bent over the screen, about ready to smack his head on the desk. Selvig's notes were thorough, but they needed the base gamma radiation levels to finalize the algorithm and thus be able to get an exact pinpoint on the tesseract. Those numbers seemed to fluctuate depending on its activity and the numbers that Selvig had taken down didn't work. They tried the scan and came up with nothing. It didn't help that Tony had been oddly silent since he came back from questioning Amilia and Veli. It was distracting to Bruce who had quickly grown used to the chatty version of Tony, but he wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

He could almost feel Tony pulling himself back under his walls as they worked. An almost raw feeling had settled over the billionaire when they had returned and they were out of Fury's overbearing presence. It made Bruce a little sad that something could affect the overly confident and constantly animated genius like this.

Bruce looked away as Tony came over, "So how are you feeling after being big, green, and raging?"

The scientist gave his little huffed laugh, "All right, Thor gave the… other guy a run for his money."

"Really? Well, I have felt Point Break's swing. It's mean as hell when he wants it to be," Tony said as he circled around him.

There was a little zat at Bruce's side that made him jump and look over with an "Ow!"

Tony leaned in, eyes intent on him for a moment, then he pulled back, "Damn, you have it all back under control!"

Bruce gave his light, breathy laugh again as Tony continued, "What is your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

A shake of Bruce's head, silently happy for the little playful exchange as he answered, "No, it's a lot more complicated than that."

Tony was about to say something more when the door to the lab opened and Steve stepped in. Tony sighed and turned, "Oh Captain, my Captain! What can we do for you?"

Steve gave a little solemn smile as he said, "Can I talk to you Tony? Alone?"

"Ooooh, am I in trouble with you too? Again?" Tony asked, leaning forward on the table and resting his chin on his palm, peering brightly up at Steve.

Steve rolled his eyes and gave the billionaire an exasperated look, "Just come with me, Tony."

Tony sighed and grumbled a little as he straightened, "All right, lead away," and shoved his hands into his pockets as he followed Steve.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Steve brought him to a large room, a sort of observatory that was settled off to the side of the helicarrier that Tony knew the older man frequented. The genius looked around, "Hmmm, nice view."

"Yeah…" Steve began, but paused.

Tony, however, didn't like waiting, especially when his mind felt like it was still compacting in on itself, "You know, if you're going to talk to me about Loki, it's pretty useless. I'll be over it soon enough."

"Seven months is a long time, Tony," Steve said.

"Please, 30 years is a long time," Tony snipped back, exasperation lining his words.

"How long was your longest relationship?" Steve asked, choosing to dig.

"About, 8 months," Tony answered quickly, he mentally denied that he had been counting down the days to beating that one.

"And how much was accomplished in those 8 months?" Steve moved to stand next to him.

Tony hesitated, not liking the path of the questions at all, "Barely anything."

"And what was accomplished in the seven months with Loki?" The soldier turned to watch the other's face closely.

Tony's jaw clenched and he quirked his head slightly, an annoyed tick Steve had learned to watch for. Steve nodded when it was clear Tony wasn't going to answer, "You don't just get over that in a day, Tony."

"Oh yes and a talk from good ol' Capy is going to make it all better," Tony turned before Steve could say anything, "Do I need to remind you that Loki disappeared from my room the night the tesseract was stolen. There were no good-byes, there were no words exchanged, he just vanished. I was left to find out who and what he was by the glorious information that Coulson gave me. I was used for a cover, information and a good time before he just walked out and left me to it. I doubt that's something that I need to dwell on."

"And yet you are. And honestly, I don't think his part was that easy," Steve shifted to face Tony in return, "Amilia's words were carefully picked, Tony. Didn't you hear her when she said 'He went through hell because of you'? What do you think that means?"

"What, so you're on his side now?" Tony said, jaw dropping as he took a defensive step back.

"I'm on your side, Tony," Steve re-affirmed, "but you need to understand three things: One, it is going to take you more than a day to get over whatever you and Loki were. Two, he is currently being held hostage for information and that _will _play a roll in how you respond to the situation. And three, you did affect him," Steve said sharply, taking a step forward to make sure Tony understood the gravity of each word he said.

Tony hated the fact that he couldn't argue with Steve for once, "So then what the hell do you suggest?" Where was a bottle of whiskey when one was needed?

"Take a moment out and think," Steve paused, then chuckled a little, "Me telling you to think. A moment in time."

Tony blinked, then rolled his eyes at the man and his ability to be amused at something like that. He reached up a hand to rub his forehead and finally nodded, "I think I just lost 1000 credibility points with that."

"How about we cap it at 250 and I'll make sure it doesn't happen for another year or so?" Steve offered.

A slight grin tipped the side of Tony's lips, "125 and a bottle of whiskey and it's a deal."

Steve laughed as he shook his head, "I'll take the 125, but the whiskey stays out of the equation."

"Oh come on, there's got to be one rolling around this hunk of metal," Tony argued, "There's no way Fury's sober at all times!"

"Hey, watch it, and you're not getting any while on duty," Steve countered, then slapped his shoulder amicably, "Just take five, Tony. Then go back to the lab."

Steve didn't let him protest, just left the room quietly. Tony stared at the door, then looked out the window before sitting down on one of the nearby chairs, trying to do as Steve said and think for a bit.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The door to their cellblock opened and all but Loki stood and moved to the front of their cells, trying to figure out what was going on. Aiden strode in and stood before Loki's cell. The god looked up with a bored, but expectant look on his face. Aiden just chuckled as he de-activated the energy shield and opened the door, "You will prove more useful than I thought, trickster."

The soldiers moved into the cell to grab Loki and pull him up, leading him from the room. Betty leaned forward and yelled, "Hey, what are you going to do to him?"

Aiden turned, his grin wide as he said, "Maybe I'll take off that gag for a moment so you can hear his screams. Or give you a show? I'm sure you'll figure it out from there."

Betty stared at him in horror at the implication of his words, swallowing down the bile in her throat as she took a step back from the bars of her cell. Aiden just laughed as he left.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki was deposited onto his knees to the side of a circular domed room. On the ground before him there was a circle that was carved into the stone with four primary points. Two looked like mirrors set on stands, blue energy encircling the concaved surfaces that were meant to simply reflect energy into a central point. Another had a stake with runes littered across it stabbed into the stone ground and Aiden's scepter carefully attached with the blue, glowing end touching the top of the stake. The last side that he had been set before a circle that was large enough for a person to kneel in with a hole in the ground for another stake to go into. Symbols, some he knew and others he didn't, were written across the floor, running in arches between each point and his eyes widened as he realized what this was. Before he could do anything though a hand took hold of his hair again and had him arching his back to accommodate the pull, "Yes, that's right, a summoning circle. And that little inhibitor inside of you is going to be the second power point," Aiden said with a wide, unnerving grin.

"However, I can't create magic shackles and so on like you do. Not in my set of skills. So, I have to keep your hands attached to the stake in a more old fashioned way," Aiden continued before looking up at the guards and releasing the god's hair.

Loki was pulled to his feet and dragged from the circular room and to the side room that connected it and the main hall, which was a large empty space with a high reaching ceiling. As they entered the side room he was deposited on the ground and one of the shackles was unlocked. He tried to struggle away as his armor was half removed, leaving his right arm and torso exposed, the rest still held on by the shackles on his left arm.

Aiden walked around him, speaking calmly, "You know, I used to be a very simple man. I owned a restaurant and I had a wife and daughter, Chelsea and Melony."

One of the guards twisted Loki's left arm behind his back by the empty shackle still attached to it and quickly had him in a headlock. His right arm was pulled across the table where two wood blocks were attached to the table, a large hammer and two large, metal nails were laid out just beyond the blocks. Aiden walked over to the hammer casually, picking it up and testing the weight, "Melony was six and just loosing her front teeth. She would run about the restaurant while her mother helped serve the customers. I was the chef," the two guards held Loki down, placing one tightly fisted hand over the first wood block.

Aiden took his time forcing Loki's fist open, pulling each finger over the edge of the wooden block and holding them there with his boot. Loki struggled and yelled in protest beneath the gag as the first nail was placed over the back of his hand, "I remember it was summer, a bright day in the desert," Aiden tapped the flat end of the nail with the hammer, grinning as he watched Loki wince each time and a touch of blood came from the sharpened end where it had barely punctured his skin.

Aiden's grin fell and he raised the hammer high, "When that thing came."

Aiden drove the nail through Loki's hand and into the wood below in one blow. Loki screamed in pain, the sound muffled by his gag, his head tossing back as his body jerking against the men holding him as his vision blurred. Aiden raised his boot to check his work, the already bruised fingers trembling as blood ran from the around the nail. The champion tapped the nail again, making Loki whimper slightly as he gasped for air through his nose, trying to fight through the pain.

"That will do," Aiden said mostly to himself, then motioned to the guards again.

Loki closed his eyes tightly as he tried to fight against the removal of the rest of his armor and clothes from the waist up as Aiden continued, "It stood taller than any man could, all metal and molten fire. It waltzed into town and started destroying everything in its path."

Loki's eyes had widened at the description, but a swift punch to the temple from Aiden had him slumping forward on the table. He tried to control where his left hand went, but before he could do much Aiden had his boot over his fingers once more and was leaning toward Loki, face twisted in a snarl, "I watched them burn, turned to ash before my very eyes."

The once-human paused in his tirade and nodded to one of the man that held Loki down and the trickster's gag was carefully removed as Aiden put the nail in place and raised the hammer, "Let's allow Ms. Betty Ross a little music, shall we?"

Then the nail was driven through Loki's left hand with no teasing this time as had happened before. The god wanted to hold in the scream, his teeth clenching in determination at first, but it was ripped from his throat regardless of what he wanted.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Betty looked up as she heard the scream and immediately clasped her hands over her ears as tightly as she could. Jane closed her eyes as tears brimmed her eyes and Sharon stared in the direction the scream had come from with her lips pressed into a thin, grim line. Pepper's breath left her in a rush, a hand over her heart as she shuddered at what Aiden may doing to Loki.

~~~/~~~/~~~

After the gag was replaced Aiden worked the nails, still through Loki's hands, off the blocks of wood and grabbed the tall, runed stake that had been leaning against a wall. He stalked back over to Loki and drove it partially into the ground next to them. Loki looked at it blurrily as the men twisted him around. His right hand was pulled up to the blank end and the sharp point of the nail was held to it, "I tried to end it all. I really did. I wanted to be with my wife and daughter again. So, I tossed myself off an office building. Only to land right in the hands of the Chitauri."

With a movement of the champion's hand the nail welded to the stake and Loki tossed his head back as his choked on another cry of pain as the heated metal burned the wound in his hand, cauterizing it, probably to make sure he didn't bleed to death. Or just for the torment.

The process was repeated with his other hand and in the end Aiden had made sure Loki had no way of letting go of the stake. Green eyes blinked rapidly through the pain that his hands were made of and that moved up both his arms, fighting the instinct to move his fingers in search of relief from the pain since he knew it would just make it worse.

Aiden's glowing blue eyes watched him as he straightened and jerked his hand to the men that still held the trickster. The stake was pulled out of the ground and he was dragged back to the circular room, feet fumbling beneath him. The stake was placed into the hole in the ground and Aiden raised the hammer to tap the end. Loki grimaced at the vibrations that ran through his limbs and looked up at the champion. He understood now, he knew exactly what was racing through the once-human's mind, and it was his fault. Aiden leaned forward, not recognizing the look Loki wore, "It was the Chitauri that gave me the strength to do what was needed for this world. So no one need suffer as I have."

The hammer rose high before slamming down onto the end of the stake once, twice, three times, each hit making Loki cry out at the pain it sent through him. When Aiden was satisfied with the stability of the stake he pulled back and walked around Loki. Loki heard the hammer set down and then there was a knife at his side, just over where the inhibitor was, "I'll be bringing them in one at a time, slowly, but surely. A little army underground. Built off your hard work," He said mockingly.

Loki bit into the gag as the knife dug into his side and Aiden's fingers drove into the open wound before pulling the inhibitor partially out of him. The trickster gasped for breath as he tried to keep his head from dropping. He grimaced as he felt the inhibitor tingle half within him, almost humming. The Chitauri champion laughed and drew in close to him, "For each one that comes through, you will feel it in your very bones."

Aiden stepped away from Loki and with a series of words the scepter sparked to life and Loki inhaled sharply as the inhibitor did the same within him. A moment later pain tore through his body as the energy fought its way through his veins, muscles, and bones. He couldn't resist another muffled scream that he let out as his back arched and the energy filtered out of him and into the stake before him. He was left gasping for breath as it was released down the stake and into the lines an symbols on the floor and gathered in the mirror points before firing into the center. It took a few moments before the crackling energy dissipated and a Chitauri warrior stood before them.

The creature growled and snarled, but bowed to Aiden. The Champion smiled proudly and gestured for the creature to go to the room off to the side where he had driven the nails through Loki's hands. His churning blue eyes looked at Loki once more and the smirk curled his lips, "Again."


	9. Chapter 8

[Author Note: *insert keyboard mashing here* You guys are awesome! Over 60 reviews! i thought I would barely break 20! Thank you so much to everyone for reading, it means the world to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. **The following has been added to the warnings: There is torture at the end of chapter seven. It's not too much, but it is somewhat graphic and can be skipped if you are so inclined. However, you will miss a few points on Aiden's character and a realization on Loki's part.**

Another thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

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Chapter 8

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony finally stood from his seat, his head in a more organized place and at least feeling less hostile and completely picked apart by a certain Swedish woman. He was about to leave the observatory when he noticed something moving beside him. He looked over in confusion that quickly turned into surprise as what was moving was this weird black smoke that slowly seemed to open to reveal a case with the label 'For Tony Stark' across it. He reached up to his ear to touch the communicator as the case became whole and knelt down to it, "Director Fury..?" he said formally.

"Yes, Stark?" Came his mildly annoyed voice.

"I just received a package, via… I think magic," Tony said.

"On our way," came the now curt reply.

~~~/~~~/~~~

There was a short moment as they all entered the lab where everyone looked to Clint. The archer's stance stiffened as each looked him over before a nod from Fury and Natasha confirm that he was back to himself and no one else. Once his state of mind was affirmed, they had all turned to the case. It had been brought in carefully, using a large pair of tongs after one of the agents with Fury when he arrived had tried to touch it had been shocked to the point of third-degree burns and possible nerve damage. Now it was in the middle of the lab and no one had any idea how to open the thing. It had a seal edge but no clasps or any indication of how to open it. If this was sealed by magic and they tried to force it open, who knew what would happen to them or the contents. There was no way of knowing.

Thor reached out before anyone could stop him and a sharp crack sounded as Thor shook off his hand, though the burn disappeared quickly, "That is definitely Loki's magic. The burn has a very particular feel to it."

"I'm not sure I want to know how you know that," Tony said with a skeptical look at Thor.

Thor shrugged and smiled, then looked back to the case. Tony licked his lips then straightened and said, "Well, this may be the stupid thing to do, but it is addressed to me…" He said as he moved a hand forward.

Tony's face scrunched in a grimace as he touched his hand to the case, fully expecting to be sent flailing and then raced to the hospital wing. Everyone around him held their breath, all poised to react as necessary. Only when his hand touched it nothing happened. Tony cracked his eyes open and looked over at the case, his finger tips on in, barely. He let out a breath and then put his full hand on it, only to pull it away with a surprised, "Whoa!"

"What?" Steve asked with a little jump, eyes wide and fixed on Tony as he examined his hand.

"It tingled…" Tony said, still rubbing his palm.

"It took your hand print," Natasha pointed out, gesturing to the case.

Sure enough, there was a handprint on the case and after a moment it sank into the metal casing, then a sharp click and a tiny hiss and the case popped open. Tony reached forward again and opened it, others still not willing to touch it. Inside were four things:

- A metal bar

- A shard of metal

- A small book

- A map

- And a note

Tony took each out and set the case aside, just to avoid if it was still inclined to burn everyone else still, and they looked over them before Tony took up the note and began to read it, "It seems for one reason or another you will need to find the tesseract. Inside are all the items you need to do so. Good Luck. –Loki."

He could practically hear the relief and pure frustration coming off everyone. Relief that they had _something_ but frustration that it was in the form of a riddle. Fury reached forward and grabbed the map as he growled out, "Well, let's see everything."

Bruce moved to pick up the metal bar, only to watch as the shard magnetized to it once he accidentally put it close to it, "Huh, a magnet," and looked it over. "This is simple enough, same with the metal piece. Not much going on there," he said, shrugging a little as he set them down again.

Tony picked up the book and thumbed through it, specifically the page that was marked. However it was all in… Norse? He looked at Thor and handed it to him, "Can you make out what this book is?"

Thor took it and his eyes widened, "This was one of the books Loki used to take notes in for his spells."

"What about the page it's on, what's that spell?" Tony asked.

"It's a…" Thor shook his head in an endearing manner, "Of course, it's one of the forbidden spells. It's only to be used by our father when it is necessary for banishment, but it suppresses all of an individual's powers or abilities. I was under it when I first came to earth."

"It looks like that map has been marked in specific places," Fury added, looking over each, "And their longitude and latitude listed."

"How does this make any sense though? We have two pieces that are clear indicators, and two that have a strong correlation to one another, but nothing that completely ties the four together," Bruce pointed out, a mildly exasperated look on his face.

"Well, we'll have to take this one piece at a time. Romanov, research each of these points on the map, see what's there. Barton and Rogers, you are to move out to the first, closest point with Agent Coulson. Banner and Stark, I want you on the magnet and metal, see if there's anything unique about them. Thor, can you see if you can get any information on that spell? I know it correlates with the fact that something is suppressing Loki's powers, but we need to find out if there's anything more specific," Fury listed off.

Natasha was already gone when her orders were given and Steve and Clint were on their way to the Quinjet, Bruce and Tony nodded and Thor gave a curt nod, "I'll be on the roof," and left to go outside to make another attempt to contact Heimdall.

Fury looked at Tony, then at his hand that still clutched the note, "That may be a clue as well."

Tony shrugged, "Then it should stay here so we can test it."

Fury watched him for a moment, before nodding and leaving the lab. Bruce watched Tony as he eyed the note, then carefully put it down, almost as if it were made of glass, then set the note Aiden had left with Pepper's picture beside it. To Bruce it was a clear indication that he was setting them in some sense of order, of importance. Equal.

At least while Aiden had them.

~~~/~~~/~~~

It wasn't until Clint and Steve got back from the first location with no evidence of anything that Natasha noticed that the last point she was supposed to research had moved. What was lucky was she had been in the lab trying to see if the magnet and metal piece might have anything to do with the map points. Bruce saw the changed numbers of longitude and latitude and his eyebrow shot up before his hands began flying over his computer screens, "What is it?" Natasha asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"That clever… The algorithm needs base reading numbers from the tesseract or something akin to it to run a successful search, the fact that these readings can have a rather large range depending on if it's active or not doesn't help. The ones that Selvig had noted were either incomplete or jumbled somehow. If I'm right, then if I add…"

Tony had come over to look at the map and then their search and a huge grin came over their face, "Damn, he knew that we'd be searching like this and made sure he had the right numbers, but we only got them when he wanted… That ass."

Natasha gave a soft snort, "You dated him."

"Which gives me all the more right to call him an ass," Tony pointed out.

A grin from the assassin and she touched her earpiece, "We may have figured out the algorithm and the map all at once, sir."

"I hope so, we don't need to be searching each one of those locations just to find nothing," Fury shot back.

"We'll know shortly, sir. I'll let you know when the search is complete," she said and sat back to wait.

The search took about a half an hour. Clint, Steve and Fury gathered in the lab hopefully, while Thor stayed out on the runway, still trying to contact Asgard. When the scan finished Bruce frowned, his expression drawing together, "That can't be right…"

"What is it?" Fury asked, stepping forward.

"Well, there are readings for the tesseract in two places. One underneath New York, which is fairly weak. The other is on the helicarrier," Bruce explained.

Tony let out a little laugh, "Hah, right under our noses, probably!"

Fury raised an eyebrow at him, "Narrow the search, lets find out where exactly."

This search was much shorter, "Well, there's traces of it all over the ship, but the primary place is the ...lab…" Bruce said, letting out a low breath.

Clint frowned, "Is there any way you're interfering with the scan, doctor?"

Bruce shook his head, "No, the equation isn't calibrated for the gamma radiation I put off. I know the figures for that."

Tony stood up straighter as he paused, remembering that the case had been specifically for him. He looked over at the shard of metal. Shrapnel. He swallowed hard and picked it up, "Dr. Banner?"

Bruce looked over, as did the rest of the team, and he held up the shrapnel piece, "Scan me."

Bruce looked at the shrapnel and then at Tony, only to grimly go back to the scan and do just that. He turned and nodded slowly, "It's inside… you."

Tony let out a shaky breath as he put the metal down and scrubbed a hand over his face, then laughed softly, a slight edge of hysteria to it, "I know when the sneaky bastard did it too…"

Fury's eye was locked on Tony before he said, "Then how to we get it out?"

Steve stepped up, "Maybe that's what the last two pieces are for. Figuring how to get it out of Tony."

"I hope so, but I want you in the hospital wing to see if they can surgically remove it," he said, pointing at Tony, "and until further notice, you are on lockdown, Stark," Fury said definitively.

"What? You can't do that!" Tony protested.

"I can and I will," Fury practically snarled, taking a step forward, "Especially when you have one of the most powerful energy sources known to mankind inside your chest."

Tony shook his head, "Only the people in this room know that. Pulling me off anything or putting me under armed guard is just going to be a signal to everyone that something's up with me!"

Natasha was his saving grace at that moment, "He's right sir."

Fury took a frustrated breath, glancing at her before nodding, "All right, but there is to be one of the people in this room or Thor at your side at every moment of the day."

"Even in bed?" Tony said, leaning forward, "Cause in that case-" He started to gesture to Banner, whose face quickly became red at the implication.

Fury held up a hand, "Don't start, Stark," Tony held up his hands in surrender before Fury continued, "Get yourself to the medical bay and see if it can be surgically removed. Dr. Banner, continue looking at the magnet. Thor should be back from attempting to contact Asgard soon. We have the tesseract, so we just need to figure out where Aiden is."

"Well, what about the other energy signature?" Steve offered, gesturing with a thumb to the computer.

Clint nodded in agreement, "His scepter was powered by the tesseract or something similar. That might lead us to his hide out."

Fury nodded, "And you are sure you have no idea where Aiden was heading last you had contact with him?"

Clint shook his head, "I just know the first place was cleared out, as confirmed. Selvig was in charge of where everything for the portal was going and Aiden was taking a different route all together. Neither of which I was given any information on."

Fury nodded, then his frown deepened as Maria came over the communicator, "Sir? Veli wants to speak to you."

"The assassin suddenly wants to talk?" Fury inquired nodding to Tony and Steve to head to medical and Bruce to continue his work, a glance at Clint and Natasha and they were at his side as he moved into the hall.

"It seems so, he said it's urgent," Maria answered.

"Then take him to the interrogation room. We'll be there shortly," Nick said and ended communication as he lengthened his stride.

~~~/~~~/~~~

They arrived in the room and Veli sat calm and impassive as ever. Clint knew who he was the moment he saw him, glancing at Natasha before moving to stand behind Fury on his left, Natasha on his right, as the Director sat down, "I understand you wanted to speak with me?"

"I can take you directly into Aiden's most recent hide out," Veli said, simple and to the point.

Fury frowned darkly, "And you only see fit tell us this now, because…?"

"I was told to," Veli said, still as expressionless as ever.

"By who?" Fury pushed, arms crossing over his chest.

Veli reached forward and set the black ring he wore on the table, "My Lord."

Fury reached forward and took the ring, examining it, "How?"

"Each time another step in events comes to light, I am told what must be done," the assassin explained.

"Then how do I know I can trust you not to take my agents into a trap?" Fury asked, setting the ring back down and clasping his hands before him on the table.

"You have Amilia," he said, looking at Natasha, then Clint.

There was a tense moment, then, "And what if it's the wrong location?"

"I know of the first one that Agent Barton no doubt already had you check out. However, I know of the one where Aiden is now, which is where the women are. I can take you to that one," Veli said, eyes moving between the three of them.

Fury pursed his lip tightly, before finally saying, "You will take Agent Barton and Agent Romanov. You will be given no weapons and if you even take one toe out of line I will hunt you down, Pekkanen."

"Understood," Veli said, looking at Fury squarely before giving a curt nod.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"So that's the Hanging Harbinger, eh?" Clint said as he pulled on his quiver and tucked his folded bow into its holder on his back, along side the quiver.

"It is," Natasha said as she tested her Widow's Bite gloves.

Clint nodded, "So were-"

"Once and only once. Then we tried to kill each other. Called it a draw and went our separate ways because neither of us could really walk," she said, then glanced at him, "Jealous?"

"Just enough," Clint answered, turning to her.

A grin touched at her lips and she turned away, "Good."

~~~/~~~/~~~

They were dropped off in central Manhattan and Veli quickly took them down underneath a large office building and in through a long tunnel. From there it was all climbing around pipes and through cracks. Veli and Natasha held the front with Clint just behind them. It was obvious that had any but Natasha and Clint come they would have been left behind quickly. Veli paused and glanced back at them, "Here," he said simply and leaned out into where they could see a bright light coming from.

Each flipped off their flashlights as Veli leaned into the well-lit room, loud sounds coming from below them as they carefully moved out onto a decent sized ledge. Most of those sounds were definitely not human. The assassin crept out further along the ledge and whispered with a deep breath, "That's new."

Natasha swallowed as she looked down, the room was teeming with creatures, grey and black skin beneath silver toned armor. They chittered and growled between each other, armor clanking as they milled about restlessly, "Chitauri?" Clint asked, barely heard.

"It seems so. I've only had glimpsed words of what they look like from my Lord," Veli whispered back, "But how did they get here?"

As if on queue a glittering of blue light was seen down one of the halls and a muffled scream was heard. Veli's eyes narrowed and he was off, darting over beams and ledges, Natasha hot on his heels and Barton right behind her. They came to a single window that led into a domed room, looking down one saw a strange scene. Runes littered the ground along four lines that passed between four points. Two looked like mirrors, while a third had Aiden's staff and the fourth was Loki. The god was hunched over, gasping for breath around a gag and his hand grasping… No, they were nailed to the end of the stake. His skin was pale with burn marks arched across his back, especially around his left side and long cuts and bruising across his back, probably from a whip or blunt object of some sort. They weren't close enough to tell. His hair hung limp around his face and sweat and blood had left streaks in the dirt that was smeared on his skin.

The god straightened as they saw a tall man with skin similar to the Chitauri, glowing blue eyes, and blacken teeth move forward with a large grin on his face, eyes dancing with glee. Veli pointed to him and mouthed 'Aiden'.

Natasha and Clint nodded and they watched. Aiden moved over to Loki with a smug smile on his face, "Ah Trickster, do you grow tired? I would hope your stamina was a bit higher. There's still so many to bring through."

They watched the Chitauri champion move to pat Loki's head, but the god quickly snatched out from under the hand. Aiden snarled and punched Loki clean across the cheekbone, wrenching his hands on the stakes and making him yell in pain before grabbing his hair and hauling him back by it, forcing him to look up at the warrior, "I think you can withstand a few more."

The altered human released him and stepped away from the circle and soon it was activated again. Flickering blue energy danced across Loki's skin, making Loki scream into the gag again as something glowed in his side as well, and the energy gathered into the stake. Something similar happened to the scepter, before filtering along the runes in the ground. The energy filtered out to the mirrors and shot inward to the center of the room. There was a display of coiled energy and ricocheting bolts of lightening before it dissipated to reveal another Chitauri soldier. Aiden smiled at the warrior and beckoned him over, "Come my warrior. We go to battle soon."

As Aiden left Veli moved and it was Clint that grabbed him. Veli looked back, his eyes stone cold and breathing harsh. Clint shook his head slowly, and motion for the assassin to crouch back down. Veli did reluctantly, eyes darting to Loki before back to them. Clint let go of his arm cautiously before whispering, "I'll make a perimeter. Natasha, you go with Veli to try to get a good look at where the girls are held."

The two nodded and they split. Natasha followed Veli through more acrobatics and tunnels to where a series of rooms were and he whispered, "The one farthest down was converted into a prison block for them," he pointed to the four Chitauri guarding the last cell, "He's replaced the men that were there with the Chitauri now."

Natasha nodded and pulled back, they mapped the path through the old catacombs to the entrance and Natasha saw quickly why they didn't come in that way, it was open and clear, there was no way to sneak in and it was easily bottlenecked. But with the amount of Chitauri that were coming in (she winced at the memory of how Loki as screamed and mentally calculated how long this may have been going on before forcing herself to stop) there would be a small army down here before long. A light chirp in her ear signaled Clint was done and she motioned Veli back. They climbed back into the high ledges and moved back to the crevice they had come from.

Veli held out his hand to them unexpectedly. Natasha frowned and Clint looked at him with his head tilted. Veli raised a brow, "We're taking a short cut."

Natasha took his hand while Clint grasped his wrist, "How does taking yo-"

There was a wrenching motion in their gut as Veli reached for something on the wall and sparks of yellow lanced off his fingers and they suddenly felt like they were falling through the air. Sideways. A moment later Natasha and Clint toppled to the floor and Veli was bending over them, "Welcome to the level four storage room on the helicarrier."

Clint blinked up at him and looked around as he stood, "The hell didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Would you have trusted me to take it on the way down?" Veli asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I still don't trust you to take it again," Clint snapped.

Veli chuckled and followed between Natasha and Clint as Clint reached up to his communicator, "Sir, we're back."

"What? How?" Fury said, irritation in his voice.

"A shortcut," Clint almost ground out, making Veli smirk.

~~~/~~~/~~~

They gathered in the meeting room, Thor being the first to speak, "Unfortunately, there is nothing unique about the spell. It is just that spell and nothing more. It probably only pertains to the fact that Loki's magic is being suppressed."

Clint turned to Thor, "The tesseract can control minds, could it also suppress Loki's powers?"

Thor nodded, "It is possible."

"Then that makes sense. There was something in his side that they were using in conjunction with Aiden's scepter, it had the same blue glow as the tesseract," Clint explained.

"Was it on the left side, just at the waist?" Tony asked, gesturing on his own side.

Clint nodded, frowning, "You knew it was there?"

"I knew something was there. He passed it off as a childhood wound that he just never got looked at," Tony said with a shrug.

Thor looked irritated once more that Tony seemed to know so much about his brother, but Fury quickly took over before the demi-god could get in another fight with Tony, "What about what's inside you, Stark?" Fury asked, looking impatient.

"It's sitting right in between my arteries and my heart. Open-heart surgery, possible artery replacement if they scratch anything. Basically, no," He said, smiling tightly.

Fury nodded, "Figures," and looked back to Natasha and Clint, "what were they doing with Loki and the scepter?"

"They were using them as a way to transport Chitauri in one by one," Natasha said.

"And as torture," Veli added.

Tony stiffened, his eyes darting about for a moment as that sank in. Thor was not so subtle, "They are torturing my brother?" he half roared, a lilt of horror in his voice.

Steve came to the rescue, "Calm down, Thor. Rushing in headlong is not going to stop it."

Thor looked at Steve for a moment, a pained expression moving across his face before he nodded and stood back once more. Clint quickly picked up the line from there, explaining the hideout using old architecture plans Natasha found to show the general layout. Fury leaned forward, "All right ladies and gentlemen. We need a plan of attack, to cut the flow of Chitauri and get the hostages out of there. Clint, anything you notice in the structure?"

Clint leaned forward, "Well, the entrance is small and an excellent bottleneck. "However," he stood and gestured to the main room on the plans, "in the main room there's a large, high ceiling that's the closest point to the surface. If we could find a way to blow out the ceiling we'd be able to just drop in on them."

"But the charges still may not take out the structural integrity," Natasha pointed out, "We'd have to have something come down from the top too."

"I can do that," Bruce said, stepping forward, "I would just let the other guy out over the explosion. Then he could drop him in on them."

Steve turned to scientist, "How would we get you to calm down again?"

Bruce swallowed a little, "Betty."

Steve nodded in understanding. "All right, then how do we manage to get the explosives in the right place without getting noticed?" Fury asked.

"We'd need a distraction," Natasha said, "Aiden stayed in that room a lot and we won't be able to maneuver easily if he's not focused on anything else."

"And sending anything through the main entrance is just suicide," Steve said with a contemplative frown.

"Um guys," Tony raised a hand with an exasperated look, "You realize you have one of the fastest talking billionaires on the planet that's known for playing on his own," and pointed to himself.

"Absolutely not," Fury snapped, "Not while _that_is still in your chest."

"He doesn't know, Fury. There is no way he could know unless Loki talked, but if that were the case he'd already be after my ass. Besides, I don't think Aiden would believe him now even if he did tell him," Tony pointed out.

"It would be better if myself or Clint went in," Natasha pointed out.

"And offer him what?" Tony countered.

Natasha didn't answer, her eyes narrowing at Tony as he continued, "Exactly. I can offer him tools, funds, and command without a fight. The man is sympathetic, or else he wouldn't have let Amilia go, and he's kept the hostages alive and untouched as of yet."

Fury closed his eyes in frustration, "Stark-"

"He's right, sir," came Steve's voice.

Tony whipped around to look at the Captain in surprise. Steve gave him a sharp look before turning back to Fury, "If anyone could get Aiden to believe he wanted to bargain or play on his side, then it's Tony."

Fury watched Steve, then Tony carefully, dark eye calculating, "And when we drop in?" He asked.

Clint leaned forward, seeming reluctant with his next words, but speaking anyway, "I can follow him in the rafters. If we use Veli's shortcut again it won't be a problem. Veli and Natasha could set the charges while Aiden is distracted."

Fury looked to Veli, who actually looked smug, and asked, "Can we trust you?"

"As long as it involves, my Lord's life, yes," Veli said without hesitation.

"'My Lord', why do you keep using that?" Tony said, confused.

Thor was the one to explain, "It is customary on Asgard when a warrior is sworn to a royal for them to call them 'Lord'."

"Oh," Tony said, "Seems ancient."

"Perhaps to you, Tony Stark. On Asgard it is a show if respect," Thor countered.

Fury cut any reply Tony had, "Thank you for the explanation, Thor. Now, we have one hour. Stark, you do _not_leave until I say, understood?"

"Yes sir," Tony said, with a mock salute as he stood, the rest doing so as well.

~~~/~~~/~~~

As the group dispersed to prepare for the ruse, Fury moved out to look out the windows of the helicarrier's bridge, a thin frown on his face. The expression shifted slowly as the director's eyes glinted and he murmured to himself, "So the Avenger's finally come together?" He glanced back over his shoulder as his lips tipped up with a grin, "And here I was beginning to actually think they didn't have it in them."

~~~/~~~/~~~

Maria left the briefing taking slow breaths. The little voice that whispered in her ear, that this information could get her so much with Aiden, was loud as ever. The more valuable the information the higher she got, the more power he gave her. She ducked down a side hall and gripped her head, mentally beating down the voice. She was a step away from owning SHIELD after Fury. She had worked hard for this, blood, sweat, and tears. She was not giving it up! She shook her head and took a deep breath as the voice quieted and she steeled herself before she stepped back into the main hall.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony was in the cargo bay confirming his suit was ready to go and fully repaired. As he turned, he jumped when he saw Veli standing silently behind him, "Good hell, Veli, you're as bad as Natasha," he said, holding his chest where the reactor was.

Veli paid the comment no mind, "You need to understand the state my Lord is in."

"He's being tortured, I know," Tony said grimly as he pulled himself together.

"You have been the victim of torture," Tony's eyes narrowed, "But you have not seen someone tortured, correct?" Veli asked.

Tony looked away, but was grabbed by his shirt and pulled forward to Veli, "When you see him, you must not react. You are not trained for espionage, though you're a damned good liar."

Tony thrust Veli's hand from his shirt, "Don't you think I get that? What the hell do you think I'm doing this for? A jaunt down suicide lane?"

Veli looked him over, then said slowly, "He's been gagged so he can scream without being too annoying and without trying to talk his way out of anything. The energy has left burns across his body and he has been beaten, probably wi-"

"Stop," Tony said, his eyes locked on Veli, throat tight and body stiff as he fought the mental image of it.

"You won't be able to tell Aiden to stop," Veli snapped, "So prepare yourself."

Tony closed his eyes and nodded jerkily after a moment. Veli continued.


	10. Chapter 9

[Author Note: Ok, so I am going to try things a touch differently from here out and I am going to be updating with shorter chapters, but more often than just once a week. Hopefully you guys aren't adverse to that ^^; If you all hate the shorter chapters but more frequent updates and would like to return to the previous, longer chapters, but only once a week, please let me know and depending on the response I will consider switching back. Thank you guys again for all the reviews! Please enjoy!

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about. **

Thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

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Chapter 9

~~~/~~~/~~~

The main entrance to Aiden's hideaway was through an old sewer entrance, making Tony grimace as he stalked through in his Iron Man suit. The tunnel opened up quickly enough and two Chitauri patrols stationed there growled and hissed at him, weapons pointing at him threateningly, "Yo, aliens, take me to your leader!"

It was worth a shot, but useless all the same as their blue glowing weapons went off at him. He dodged easily and two quick shots had them down. He continued down the hall and turned a corner to find Aiden walking towards him, a group of about ten Chitauri behind him. Tony grinned as he stepped forward, his mask opening, "Just the man I was looking for."

"Really? And how did you find me, Mr. Stark?" Aiden said with a fake smile and glowering blue eyes.

Tony gave him a bland look, "You're in New York. I own this city."

Aiden tipped an eyebrow at that, "Then what are you doing here without the tesseract?"

"Well, because I like to think ahead," Tony said with a smile.

Aiden frowned, "Oh?"

"Yeah, you see, I'm still going to help you find the tesseract. No doubt there, but! What happens after that?" Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

"I stake my claim," Aiden half snarled.

"Exactly. And honestly, you have SHIELD scrambling for a foothold, Thor's an idiot that has no sense of planning aside from where he throws his hammer, Banner's half on the verge of hulking-out every two seconds, so his intelligence is questionable, Steve's an emotional mess following Fury's direction like a puppy and Natasha and Clint can't seem to decide if they want to follow SHIELD or break out on their own," Tony explained, "You see that pattern?"

"And you?" Aiden said, hands folding before him.

"Calculating. And right now it all says that once you get your hands on the tesseract all bets are off," Tony said, his business grin in place.

"Then what could you possibly offer me, Stark?" Aiden asked, his look skeptical.

"Easy surrender, energy, funds, help re-establishing the world order," Tony listed off.

"And in return?" There were always strings like that.

"Immunity during the fight for Pepper and I. A place next to you-" Tony started.

Aiden let out a growl and the Chitauri around him shrieked noisily, making Tony grimace in annoyance. Aiden stepped forward, "You'll never be equal to me Stark. What would a man like you know of pain?"

Tony's eyes hardened, "The lime light isn't always nice, Christiansen," he snapped, "When the world stares at you then there is no trust. You have only yourself and to everyone else you're just a stepping stone if you aren't careful."

"And Ms. Potts?" Aiden said with a grin.

"Well there's always the one exception," Tony said quietly.

Aiden watched him for a moment before nodding slightly and took another step forward, "You would rank high, but I would determine how high."

"No lower than one step below," Tony said.

"You're not in a bargaining position, Mr. Stark," The champion warned.

"Aren't I?" Tony said, completely ignoring the chattering of the Chitauri.

Aiden let out a laugh that made Tony's stomach turn over, but the warrior beckoned him forward, "You have yourself a deal, Mr. Stark. But I keep Ms. Potts till the world is mine."

"As long as I get to see she's untouched on a regular basis," Tony affirmed with a little, smug smile.

They moved into the main room and Tony ignored the way his stomach fell at seeing how many Chitauri had been brought through and looked around, "I like what you've done with the place. A nice way to start a war."

"Indeed," then Aiden grabbed him as they reached the circular room at the other end of the main hall.

He thrust Tony forward and said, "You see him there, kneeling?"

Tony's grit his teeth and he forced himself to look up. There was Loki, just as Veli had described him, gagged, nailed to a stake in the floor, bruises and cuts across his back while blood, sweat, and dirt streaking his body. And however much he wanted to turn around and order Aiden to stop, beat the supposed champion into obeying him, he couldn't without blowing everything. How the urge to blast Aiden with everything he had twisted his gut though. Loki was slumped forward in such a defeated position; his impaled hands limp around their nails, dark hair fallen around his face, his head tucked against his chest. Tony could feel what he called his heart clenching and shriveling in his chest at the sight. Aiden stepped around him and moved to Loki as Tony straightened himself, "He was the last person to lie to me," and grabbed the black strands and pulled Loki's head back, forcing him to arch back.

Green eyes fluttered before landing on Aiden and glowering at him darkly as the champion stroked his hair from his sweat and blood streaked face. The glare, strangely enough, was comforting to Tony. It meant Loki was still there and nowhere near broken. Aiden laughed at the look before half-heartedly pushing him forward and releasing his hair, making Loki teeter forward before sitting back on his heels again. Aiden moved back over and waved a hand. The circle activated and Tony couldn't hide a wince as Loki screamed in pain as the energy arched off of him and a moment later another Chitauri warrior stood before them. Loki was leaning forward, gasping for breath when Aiden came between then and grasped Tony's shoulder and said, "And his torment has just begun. Once I rule, the remnants of him will be hung out for all to see. So," he leaned in, "you're not lying to me, are you Stark?"

Tony looked up at Aiden squarely, "Not as long as you keep your end of the bargain."

Aiden laughed again and clapped him harshly on the shoulder, "Good, good."

Tony forced a smile and just prayed it looked natural "Now, let me see Pepper."

Aiden nodded, "Come," and strode away.

Tony forced himself not to look at Loki as he left, but he could feel those green eyes on him. He just couldn't give into the urge to free him yet and if he looked he would. They moved down a hall with a few different branches of hallways coming from it. They turned down one in particular that had four Chitauri stationed at the doors at the end of the hall. The larger group of Chitauri that had been following them about previously stopped at the entrance to the hall. Aiden opened the door and allowed Tony to step inside, following a step behind him. Pepper was at the bars of her cell in an instant, "Oh god, Tony," she smiled in relief at first, then her eyes landed on Aiden and she looked between them before she swallowed hard, "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, wheeling and dealing," Tony said, making Pepper frown.

Pepper's expression hardened a little as she took in Tony's grin, "Tony what did you do?"

"What was needed to keep us a float, Pep," he said, still grinning, "Don't worry about it. You'll be out of here soon."

Her jaw worked as she tried to figure out how to answer that. Before she could say anything Tony pulled back and glanced around the cellblock curiously. Sharon stood just behind the bars of her cell, eyes locked on Tony in typical SHIELD fashion, analyzing each move he made. Betty, however, was curled up in the back of her cell, tearful eyes locked on Aiden and completely ignoring Tony. The billionaire mentally winced, knowing that Bruce would not be happy when he saw her. It was Jane who stepped forward to ask haltingly, "Th-Thor... is he...?"

"I honestly have no idea," Tony said, shrugging at her, "He'll figure it out."

Jane's expression fell at that and she looked away, hugging herself. Pepper's lips pursed into a thin line and her eyes bore into Tony's head. Aiden chuckled behind him, now just outside the cellblock, waiting for Tony, "Come Mr. Stark, we still have many things to discuss."

Tony turned and at that moment that a large explosion rocked the area and the dismayed screams of the Chitauri in the main room could be heard. Aiden's eyes went wide as he looked to the main room and Tony took the moment to close his mask and raise his hands, guns at the ready, "Oh, did I mention?" A perfectly aimed arrow nailed Aiden in the side, making him stagger, "I lied," and fired, sending the champion flying as the bomb in the arrowhead went off.

Tony made quick work of the four Chitauri in front of the cellblock and moved out into the hall, firmly standing his ground as the group of Chitauri that had been waiting at the entrance of the hall came at him. There was a thunderous roar and the sound of cracking stone was heard before suddenly the ceiling caved in and the Hulk landed in the center of the main room. Large, green and livid. The Chitauri that had been coming at him thought better of attacking Tony and instead moved to try and take out the rage-monster that they had just received in their laps. Tony glanced back into the cellblock to see that Betty was now at the corner of her cell closest to door, "Bruce!" She called in relief and worry.

Tony turned back in time to see Aiden come flying at him from the dust of where he had been sent flying a moment ago. The surprise was short lived as Thor's hammer flew through the air and sent the champion through the neighboring wall before he could get to Tony, "For my brother!" Came the battle cry as Thor sailed after the once-human.

Tony watched for a bare moment, making sure Thor was smart enough to take his battle away from the cellblock. Then he turned when Natasha and Veli came up, "You got them?" He asked, gesturing to the women in the cellblock.

"Yeah," Natasha confirmed, "Go help with the clear out and get Loki."

Tony nodded and was gone down the hall. The sight of Hulk tearing through the Chitauri as they came at him greeted him as he moved into the open area, the Captain was in a similar mind set as he beat his way through the creatures, though still aware of the Hulk's near-mindless destruction. He watched as arrows flew precisely from the ledges that were left after the explosion and he looked for a place he was needed. JARVIS honed in on the circular room where Loki was as several Chitauri made their way to it. Tony's lip curled in a silent growled as he flew over, "Not a chance," and setup shop making sure the god remained in one piece.

He tossed a look back at Loki, who was watching the fight from his hunched position, one eye glinting out from under the veil of his tangled hair. Tony offered him a smile despite the fact that he knew the god couldn't see him, before turning back to the fight.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"Stark!" Came Steve's sharp, commanding voice that always came out on the battlefield, "We have this. Get Loki!"

Tony glanced over at the Captain and nodded, "Right."

The Chitauri forces were organized and that alone had made them formidable, but it hadn't won them the battle. Though it wasn't helpful that Thor had just returned from tearing the halls to pieces where the women had been in his fight with Aiden, a grim expression across his strong features. He had lost the champion after he had landed a blow squarely across his jaw and the dazed warrior had simply melted into the shadows. Steve had ordered him top-side to make sure Aiden wasn't trying anything to get a hold of the hostages again, and to keep Betty safe until they needed to calm the Hulk down.

Tony turned to duck into the circular room and drop into a kneeling position just to Loki's side to avoid the stake he was attached to as he pulled off his helmet and one glove. He reached forward and used the ungloved hand to lift Loki's limp head; the god had passed out during the fight after Aiden had tried to bring in more Chitauri in the middle of his battle with the Thunder God, having noticed the numbers of his small army waning. Tony had ended that attempt by destroying the summoning circle and sending the scepter flying from its post.

The genius moved his hand back over Loki's cheek and through his hair, "Hey, Loki, come on, wake up! Dammit Loki, I'm not carrying you out of here you bastard."

A light slap to the face did the trick and Loki blinked awake before he jerked back in surprise, eyes wild and unfocused, "Hey, hey, calm down. It's just me," Tony assured him, giving him a grin.

Loki's eyes finally locked on Tony and he looked his former lover over. He slowly relaxed and as relief washed over him and a low, dry chuckle echoed from him. Tony was as good a liar as the trickster had thought. Tony shook his head as he said, "I swear, when you're back up to par I am kicking your ass through the nearest wall."

There was the barest moment of reassurance as their temples touched and Loki just nodded. The moment was short lived as a roar from Hulk made Tony pull back and snap back into superhero-mode, "All right, let's get this off."

Tony gently undid and pulled off the gag, the bar that had been in Loki's mouth was littered with teeth marks, making Tony wince, and the god took a few deep breaths and coughed a bit, licking dry lips. Bruises were left on the bridge of his nose, at the corners of his mouth and along his jaw from the straps. Tony tossed it aside with a look of disgust before turning to the stake with a grimace. He was just glad there was room on the nail between the stake and Loki's hand for him to cut through. With a narrowing of his eyes he lasered through the nail in Loki's right hand. When it was free, the weight of the nail made Loki's hand drop like a dead weight to the ground. Tony swallowed and took up the hand, peeling the nail out of it, little, whimpering sounds coming from between Loki's clenched teeth. As soon as it was out Tony gently put the hand down. He didn't say a word as he moved to the next one, but the knife at his throat stopped him cold. He didn't need to look back as he said, "Aiden."

"Now I see, Mr. Stark. You are in love with the trickster god? How disturbing," Came the champion's low voice, slightly wet from what had to be blood.

Tony's eyes rolled, "It's complicated."

Aiden growled and the knife dug into his throat for a moment, making him choke slightly. The warrior continued, breath harsh from fighting, "Such a poor soul to fall for one that would openly lie to you."

Tony's eyes darted down to the knife -no, the scepter- at his throat before they locked on Loki. The god's green eyes were on Aiden, hate, anger, vengeance and desperation in them. Tony couldn't help it as his own eyes widened as he watched the change happen. The red that rimmed Loki's eyes began to bleed into his green irises, taking them over entirely as his skin began to transform from its normal pale to dark blue and intricate runes began to cover him, even on his face. Loki's one free hand came up and grasped Aiden's wrist despite his wound and held him in place even as Aiden tried to pull his arm away.

The next instant Aiden's breath hitched behind Tony. The billionaire could feel the cold as it crept up Aiden's arm and moved up into the body behind him. His own breath came in heavy clouds of white while he could feel the blistering cold of Loki's breath across his own face, chilling his skin. That was enough to confirm where the cold was coming from. Tony moved out from between Aiden and the blade of the scepter, Aiden unable to move now as his joints were quickly frozen. Wide blue eyes stared at Loki in rage and dismay as they darted about, trying to move though his body just shuddered, twitched and cracked in response. Tony swallowed hard and leaned towards Loki, saying gently in his ear and careful not to touch him, "Loki... You need to stop."

The red eyes blinked at the words, then looked over at Tony, expression going from the previous twisted mix to confusion before he looked back at Aiden, his own hand and then forced himself to release the Chitauri champion shakily. Tony watched as the blue began to dissipate from Loki's skin and the genius took that chance to carefully cut through the second nail and peel it out of the cauterized wound, lips pinching as Loki grit back his pain.

Tony pulled his metal gauntlet back on before grabbing his helmet, pulling it on and dragging Loki to his feet. Loki's face twisted in pain but he kept his feet under himself as Tony led him away from the frozen warrior, ignoring the crazed eyes and muffled scream of rage. Tony looked to his comrades as they reached the main hall. The Hulk had cornered the last of the Chitauri forces in the secondary room with Steve nearby cutting through what the Hulk wasn't smashing to bits; Clint was still firing arrows from his perch, and Veli off to the side picking off stragglers. The assassin glanced over at them as they moved, eyes checking them over, before he nodded and moved to rip the head off another Chitauri with the wire he used as a frighteningly effective weapon. Tony wrapped both his arms around Loki and said, "Hold on."

"Easily done," Loki said hoarsely, and Tony smiled despite himself.

Loki's arms move around Tony as tightly as they could and Tony put his own arms around Loki as they shot into the air and through the opening that the Hulk had made when he dropped in. They landed next to the hole and Thor came racing towards them, eyes locked on the other god, "Loki!" He called.

Loki glanced up as he heard his once-brother and looked at Tony in exasperation. Tony grinned at him, "It's only for a bit, I promise."

A coarse sigh came from Loki and then Thor had taken the god from his hold and was gently picking him up, cradling the slighter man to him as Loki conveniently passed out. Thor looked at his brother in worry, then at Tony. Tony looked to the towering Asgardian, "If he's supposed to heal like you do he's not. You need to get him to the helicarrier for medical attention immediately."

Thor nodded resolutely as he held Loki as if the slightest jar would kill him before turning to the waiting jet that Natasha was standing beside. Tony turned on his heel and dropped back into the hall and turned towards the domed room, intent on killing Aiden. A quick scan showed that the rest of the Chitauri forces had been wiped out, but when he reached the dome, he found it empty. His jaw clenched and his lips pursed in frustration seeing that the scepter was gone as well. He finally forced himself to let out a breath and turned back to the main hall to see Betty across the room, yelling for Bruce to calm down. The Hulk charged over at her, but she just waited, hands gripped tightly in front of her. By the time the Hulk reached her she was closing her eyes with her head pulled to the side in a grimace, waiting for that crushing blow.

Instead she was hugged tightly to a very naked Bruce, who clutched her to his chest unabashedly. It took a moment for him to relax, knowing that Betty was safe. Betty whispered something in Bruce's ear and the scientist suddenly pulled back quickly, covering himself and stuttering wildly. Tony grinned, guessing she had made a comment about his nudity before he began to walk over.

Betty just laughed as she shook her head at the blushing man. One of the SHIELD agents with them managed to produce a blanket and offer it to Bruce. He took it eagerly.


	11. Chapter 10

[Author Note: Sorry this is a bit later than i wanted it to be. Life and crap *Sighs*. Anywho, thank you once again for all the reviews and comments! Enjoy!

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about.**

Thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

* * *

Chapter 10

~~~/~~~/~~~

They arrived back at the helicarrier safely. The girls were being gently questioned after the medical staff had seen to them and everyone was generally taking a moment to breathe. Tony had chosen to spend some time in Loki's room in the medical bay. The god had been cleaned up and his wounds tended. His hands were tightly wrapped, his beaten back carefully stitched in places and was overall a patchwork of gauze and tape. His left side, which had basically been burned open, they said would probably need intense reconstruction in the future. They weren't sure about his hands yet, but it didn't look good. Thor had dejectedly said that any of their tending would have been unnecessary if they could get the inhibitor out. However the thing was attached to organs and had a magic shield around it that put Loki in pain, made him severely ill, and who knew what else, when anyone went near it. So at the moment there was no way to get it out. Instead, they had patched him up, sedated him heavily and given him a number of painkillers.

At least he could regain some of the strength he had lost like this. Thor explained that the more he rested the more of his power and abilities seemed to come back, though it was far slower than it should be. When Loki was finally left alone Tony had insisted on staying for a while, just to make sure. So here he sat, silently trying to figure out what the hell he wanted to say to Loki when he woke up. He couldn't decide between if he wanted to rip into him for being an idiot, or just kiss him senseless.

Tony looked up as the door to the room opened and Thor stepped in. Tony offered a tight smile to him and the Thunder God answered it with an easy one saying, "Thank you for watching over my brother."

Tony nodded, a forefinger and thumb tapping at his lower lip and chin thoughtfully. Thor watched him for a moment before asking, "Do you love my brother?"

Tony closed his eyes in annoyance and he snorted, "Does anyone understand the phrase 'It's complicated'?"

"Mayhap you make it more complicated, than necessary, Tony Stark," Thor pointed out.

"Yeah, and you make everything too simple, Thor," Tony snapped back.

Thor could only shrug a little before saying, "The Lady Pepper is looking for you. Go see her, I will watch over my brother."

Tony gave a little sigh, but nodded and stood, moving from the room reluctantly.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony moved into the bridge where Pepper, Betty, and Bruce were, Bruce with an arm around Betty's waist. Sharon had been taken aside for SHIELD specific debriefing, but Tony was sure Steve had already made sure he saw her in one piece with his own eyes. Tony smiled as his eyes landed on Pepper, "Ms. Potts, you really need to no-"

Pepper stalked over and without a word landed a punch squarely across his jaw. He gave her an appalled look as he held his jaw and said, "Oww!"

As his hand dropped she slapped the other cheek, her teeth grit in anger. Tony turned back to her again, hands raised defensively this time and began, "Pep-"

Then she was hugging him and growling into his ear, "If you ever -_ever_- make me think you've done something stupid like bargaining with a man like Aiden again, I swear I'll string you from Stark Tower by your balls."

Tony paused, then laughed and hugged her in return, "Yes, Ms. Potts."

Pepper pulled back after a moment and touched his cheek and jaw, murmuring, "Sorry..."

"You should be. I'm going to have bruises now," Tony said, working his jaw.

"Well deserved bruises," she countered with a smile and stepped back, "How's Loki?"

Betty shuddered at the mention of the trickster and hid in Bruce's hold, hiding her expression in his shoulder. Bruce frowned worriedly and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. Tony pursed his lips and looked back to Pepper as she said, "She asked what he was doing to him once. Aiden made sure we all heard the… screams," she said around a thick swallow.

Tony's teeth grit tightly together and he closed his eyes a moment before he said, "He's better, patched up. We can't get what's zapping his power out though."

Pepper sighed a little but nodded, before a slight grin touched her lips, "I told you so."

Tony gave her a bland look, unable to believe she was bringing that up now, of all times. Pepper just looked away innocently.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Aiden knelt before the Other, his teeth clenched as he trembled in rage, "My Lo-"

"Shh," came the short command, soft but definitive, "You have one more chance, Aiden. Once more chance to retrieve the tesseract and receive the aide of our army."

Aiden nodded, bowing his head as he closed his eyes and swallowed his rage. The Other was giving him the one last chance, he could not mess it up. He heard the movement of the Other's robes and he looked up at him quizzically as he said, "Stand."

Aiden did so, confusion written on his face. The Other reached out in his odd manner and touched Aiden's shoulder, "We did not wish to tell you this, afraid it would cloud your judgment. However, you seem to need the drive."

The champion frowned, "What has been withheld from me?" He asked, voice low.

"When your town was decimated, it was the Destroyer that did it, as you know," the Other said.

"Yes, you have explained this," Aiden affirmed, "The Destroyer from Asgard. Which is why retribution would be sought after the humans are under my rule."

"We know who sent it," the Other said and Aiden froze beside him, "It was Loki, of Asgard."

Disbelieving rage consumed Aiden as he processed the information, "Wh-why did you not tell me when I had him within my grasp!" He snarled, turning to stare at the Other.

"Because, it would have clouded the path to your final goal," the Other said, stepping towards him, "You would have focused on his torment and not conquering the humans."

Aiden trembled as his fists clenched and his eyes closed tightly, reigning in his emotions as the Other continued, "But now that you know, use the hate that wells inside you to find the tesseract and complete your goal. Then you will have him to torment till his days end."

Aiden gave a slow nod as his eyes opened, resolute and determined now, "I will make him understand the pain, the torment he has given me."

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony sat staring darkly at the magnet in the lab. He had managed about three hours of sleep after Pepper had ordered him to rest like everyone else, but before long he was just lying there staring at the ceiling. Sleep completely out of his grasp. Aiden was still out there, up to who knew what and they needed to stay one step ahead of him until he was either killed or brought in. Though what could hold the man was uncertain. With a small groan Tony looked down at the magnet again. What in the hell was it supposed to mean anyway. They had tested it for oddities, tried to find if it correlated somehow to anything related to the other pieces, but it was a plain, simple, ordinary magnet. Neither he nor Bruce could figure out what it was for. He looked up as the door opened and Bruce stepped in, giving him a small smile, "Couldn't sleep either?" Bruce asked.

"I managed a few hours, you?" Tony asked, setting his chin in his palm.

"Barely any and it wasn't really worth it," Bruce said, sitting down at the table across from Tony.

"You're tellin' me," Tony looked over at the other items from the case, then at the magnet again and picked it up, "Loki's still unconscious, any ideas?"

Bruce shook his head, "I can't find anything weird about it, but one thing," he took the shrapnel piece and set it next to magnet and it instantly shot over to the magnet as it had when they had first taken it out of the case, "The shrapnel is heavily magnetize to it, but just this piece. It magnetizes to other things, but not like this piece."

Tony frowned and his brow knit together, "So then this magnet might somehow be, or represent, the thing that could get this damn power cube out of me."

Bruce nodded, "But if it's just representing something, what would that be? There are millions of magnetic bars in the world."

Tony moved a hand to scratch at his mussed up black hair, staring at the other pieces for a moment before blinking as he looked at the case yet again. He moved a hand over the foam that each piece had been carefully placed into and the lines that each led in to the central piece, which had been the shrapnel. The only other line there was between the magnet and the spell book. Leaning forward something dawned on Tony, with wide eyes he jolted to his feet, "I'm... going to go check something," he pointed to Bruce, "Keep looking into it."

Bruce frowned at Tony as he quickly left the lab and looked down at the magnet, "What more is there to figure out about it?" He murmured to himself with a little sigh.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony arrived at Loki's room, Thor had left after Jane had asked him to stay with her, and looked at the still sleeping Loki. He was starting to look better, his face not quite so pale and the bruising on his face and torso was starting to turn yellow, but there was still a lot of healing needed. He looked at the god's bandaged side and pursed his lips together in thought.

"Did you finally figure it out?" Came Loki's raw voice.

Tony's eyes darted up to the trickster's face and he smiled, "Mmm, maybe," he paused for a moment, "You sent us on a hell of a chase, you know that."

"That was the point," Loki's eyes opened and focused on Tony, "The longer you were all kept occupied, the longer I had to try and find a way to subdue Aiden. But things don't always turn out as planned."

"Yeah, not with that thing in your side," Tony said, taking a step forward finally.

Green eyes narrowed slightly, making the billionaire pause again before finishing, "And you underestimated Aiden."

Loki snorted and looked away, unwilling to openly admit something like that. Tony's smile widened a little at the action, then he moved cautiously forward to stand beside his bed, a frown pulling across his lips in place of the smile as he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"And break that to you how? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm the God of Mischief and Lies, I'm currently trying to get into your pants and possibly steal one of the most powerful weapons humans have ever known. Oh, did I mention that the king of Asgard wants me imprisoned too?" Loki bit out, sarcasm lacing his words as he shook his head a little.

"While completely disappearing after you've made sure that I'm very thoroughly attached to you, and not to mention leaving me to find out all about it through the second hand information given to me by SHIELD, was _so _much better," Tony snapped back.

"At least you trust information from them," Loki said lowly.

"I trusted you," Tony said through tightly clenched teeth, moving closer to Loki.

Loki refused to look at Tony, "You shouldn't..."

Tony's eyes narrowed as he came up along side Loki's bed, "Really? So then I am right in assuming that everything before you took the tesseract was just to use me? Information, a good time, a distraction? A holder for the tesseract-"

"No," Loki cut in as he finally looked over at Tony, his voice tight, "You weren't-," he cut himself off, taking a moment to get himself under control and looked away from those demanding dark eyes, "You have the tesseract because I knew you would take every course of action needed to protect it."

Loki's eyes remained locked on a point off to the side and Tony couldn't resist grabbing his jaw and turning his face to look at him after that comment, especially the one he had cut off. Loki's eyes finally met his and Tony paused at the mix of emotions he saw there, all vying for recognition though Loki would not let any of them to the surface long enough for Tony to confirm anything. Loki's hand moved up, as if to grasp his arm, then dropped back to his side since the splint on his hands that were still healing made it so he couldn't grab hold of anything. Tony glanced down at the hand, the sight reminding him of what Loki had been through, before he looked back up at the god, "If I wasn't any of those things, then just... tell me why?" His hold on Loki's jaw loosen, though his hand stayed in place.

"Because by the time I realized I couldn't push you away like I needed to, it was already too late," Loki said, quiet and forced.

"That doesn-"

"It does. I had it all planned out. When the Chitauri made their move, I would make sure you found me with a woman after Amilia dutifully directed you to us and things would fall apart, you would hate me as you should and keep your distance. But I couldn't bring myself to do it," Loki explained, finally pulling his chin from Tony's hold, "Then things were moving too fast. I had no choice."

"How was this any better?" Tony asked, his hands moving back to fold over his chest.

"Would you have liked to have found me wrapped in a woman's arms before telling you I wanted to break it off?" Loki asked, quipping an eyebrow at him.

Tony gave a tiny, relenting sigh at that, "...so when you wanted to talk the other night? That wasn't all just to get the tesseract in me, was it?"

"I was trying to break it off in a gentle manner. However, with things in full motion, I could not risk Agent Coulson finding me and bringing you under suspicion," he finished.

Tony drank in the information. It didn't forgive Loki by any means, but it sorted a few things out. He leaned back and finally just said, "Tell me how to get this power cell out of my chest."

Besides, now was really not the time to be going into the ins and outs of why Loki had done what he did.

"We have to be chest to chest," Loki said after a momentary pause.

Tony raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"It's magnetized to the inhibitor inside me. There is no other way," Loki said simply, though the corner of his lips tugged upward just barely.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Awesome, trying to get one last feeler in?"

Loki shrugged, the smile widening, "One can hope."

Tony couldn't help a short chuckle and leaned towards Loki's bed again. He paused in a precarious position bent over Loki, feeling the pull of the shard inside his chest, "So, how does it pull out? The docs said they couldn't remove it because of where it was located near all my veins and important shit."

"The shard will pull out on its own. There is magic surrounding it that will heal you as it comes out. At least until it's just under the skin," Loki explained.

Tony nodded, "Okay. Somehow that doesn-" unexpectedly Loki reached up and wrapped his arm around Tony's torso and tipped him off balance.

Tony toppled forward, but Loki made sure that the fall resulted in their lips crashing together even as they came chest to chest, Loki's arms still wrapped around him. Tony started to pull back, but stopped as he felt something pull in his chest. Dark eyes looked directly into green and glared at the god. Loki's eyebrows just jumped up suggestively as he felt Loki's lips pull into a little grin beneath his lips. Tony's expression fell into a bland look and Loki just shrugged a little. With his point made, Tony closed his eyes and returned the kiss. For just a moment he could revel in the fact that Loki was there and alive and he could blame the lapse on Loki. Seeing Loki in the summoning circle had been jarring and had set a pit of perpetual worry and anger in his gut that was quietly gnawing away at him. The feel of Loki against him, kissing him, calmed and quieted that little pit.

Tony finally pulled away from the kiss, catching a reluctant moan in his throat, and turned his head as he got his hands on either side of Loki to brace himself, "Ok, feeler has been had. So, fast or slow?"

"Well, you always did have a preference for a faster pace," Loki said, still grinning.

"And you for a slower, if deeper, pace," Tony shot back, falling into their old banter almost without a second thought.

"It does tend to draw things out nicely," Loki elaborated.

"But faster takes off that edge of control," he shoved himself up, gasping as he felt the shard pull through his chest, not hurting until it broke through the skin, "And makes it that much more intense," he finished off.

Loki looked him over with a worried expression as Tony sat back and turned to pull up his shirt, a little piece of metal hanging from the skin of his chest above and to the left of his reactor. He reached up and took the little bloodied piece of metal and held it up, "So that's it, huh?"

Loki nodded, "If the enchantments are removed it will return to its norma-"

A shot was heard, soft, like there was a silencer on it and Tony jerked forward as pain ripped through his left shoulder and chest. He grimaced, confusion on his face, before he coughed slightly. Loki was staring at his shoulder with wide disbelieving eyes, seemingly frozen in shock. Tony swallowed hard, unable to say anything as he dropped the tesseract to the ground and crumpled forward against Loki. "No!" Loki cried out, ignoring the way his body screamed as he sat bolt up to catch Tony.

In this moment Loki didn't give a damn about the tesseract, he just cared about the fact that Tony, _his Tony_, had just been shot and was now bleeding away in his arms. He tore the splints from his hands, the pain as he moved to press them over the bleeding wound a dull thrum in his ears. He maneuvered them so he could settle Tony on his bed and use it as leverage to get more pressure on the wound. Loki's eyes shot up as he heard footsteps near them a second later. Maria Hill, her eyes brimmed with a familiar blue, twisting energy came into view. Her gun was trained on Tony's head as she knelt and grabbed the tesseract. Tony coughed again below him, having seen Maria and what she was doing as well, "Dammit, no!" He garbled out, attempting to sit up, but Loki kept him in place.

Maria looked between the two of them, then smiled, "It was worth the wait to bring this to him."

Rage boiled over inside of Loki as fire danced in his green eyes, pinning the woman where she stood for a moment as she could almost feel the unadulterated anger press in around her. The air in the room instantly turned ice cold and without even glancing down Loki reached for the bandages on his side and tore them open. The only thing in his mind at that moment was with the inhibitor gone he could do what was needed, and his bare hand dove into the wound. Maria's eyes widened in dismay and her eyebrows shot up, "What are you doing?" She cried as she watched in slack-jawed disbelief.

Loki snarled at her, his eyes red for the second time that day as his hand turned blue and runes raised across his skin. He felt the inhibitor freeze inside of him, cold to the point of becoming brittle and useless. With a roar he tore the device from his flesh and sent it at her. She gasped and let out a small scream as she dodged to the side and out of the door. The explosion of the device shattering and a portion of the energy held inside suddenly being released sent her rolling dizzily, but she managed to stagger to her feet and start running, not about to see any more of what the god could do in the thralls of hate.

Loki gave another enrage yell at her retreating form, the sound filling her ears as she ran. The god stopped only as a cough and the strained call of his name brought him back. He turned back to Tony and the red eyes and blue skin instantly receded. He swallowed hard and brought a hand up to cup Tony's face first then his hand pressed over the wound again, "Dammit, Tony, don't you dare do this to me!"

"Heh," another cough, "Of all the people, it had to be fucking Maria Hill," Tony said as blood lined his lips.

Loki shook his head, "No no no," he murmured and was busy cursing the cosmos, when an arch of what felt like Thor's lightning raced through his spine.

* * *

[A/N: ...*puts on hard hat and hides in bunker*]


	12. Chapter 11

[Author Note: Sorry again for this taking longer. I know I said things would be quicker, but unfortunately, real life takes priority. I'll get things up as I am able to. Thank you all so much for the reviews from last chapter, they were very much a driving force in getting me to complete this chapter and get it up today :) Please enjoy~!]

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about.**

Thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

* * *

Chapter 11

~~~/~~~/~~~

Fury looked over the heroes that had gathered around the bridge. Thor was standing by the windows, looking out over the clouds. Natasha was crouched near one of the other SHIELD agents, running scans to try and find Aiden, with Clint nearby. Bruce had come to the bridge and shook his head at Fury when he asked if he found anything further out about the clues Loki had left and sat down next to a brooding Steve Rogers. Fury remembered that they had all been told to rest, but with Aiden still out there they couldn't. He knew the circles their minds were going in, the possibilities that would be dredging up after everything Aiden had done, though still managing to get away.

It was a vicious cycle that would continue till Aiden was in custody. Fury gave a small sigh and looked back to the clouds before them, his own thoughts examining Aiden's next possible move.

"Sir," came one of the agents voice as the man stood up, disbelief on his face, "There's been report of an explosion in the medical bay, at Loki's room."

Fury's eyes widened and he didn't have to say a word as each of the Avengers took off, Thor somehow in the lead despite being the farthest from the door, towards the medical bay. As they all came up on the medical bay, they went straight for the god's room despite the smoke and crackling blue energy that came from one of the walls that had once been a part of his room. Fury barely caught a running form disappearing through the doors at the other end of the hall and e yelled, "Romanov, Barton," and pointed at the retreating back, an agent running from an explosion, not towards one, was telling.

The assassins took the command immediately and were after the running agent. Fury turned into the room, hand waving away the smoke as Steve grimaced at the remnants of the wall to their right. A grim look came over Fury's expression as he took in the scene. Tony was on the bed, Bruce bending over him with his hand firmly pressed over his bloody left shoulder as he yelled for the medical staff, who were scrambling over one another, to get themselves in gear while Thor was keeping a writhing Loki pinned to the ground as he arched and yelled. Steve swallowed hard as he murmured, "Jesus…" as he examined what was going on.

They could actually watch as Loki's body healed, the once open wounds sealed with nothing left to show. Black, green and gold energy rippled across his skin as he twisted beneath Thor. Fury gave a determined growl after pulling himself together and stalked over to Bruce, motioning to Steve to go to Thor, to see what was going on. Bruce barely glanced at him as more of the medical staff came racing in to help. The scientist shot over his shoulder at Fury, "Gun shot through the left shoulder, just above and to the left of his heart. Need to get him into surgery to try to repair some of the damage."

Fury nodded, "Do whatever you need to."

Bruce just nodded. Steve bent over Thor and Loki, asking, "What's going on with him, Thor?"

"His power is coming back," Thor said as Loki seemed to begin to get a hold of himself, breath evening and body dropping back, "He has been without it for so long that his body has to accept the power again, coupled with the healing that his body needed… Loki?" Thor tried after a short pause as the green eyes finally locked on him and the lithe body stilled.

Loki blinked a few times, confusion turning to understanding before his eyes widened, "Tony!"

Thor grabbed hold of him, a hand coming up to his shoulder as he shot upright, "Brother st-"

"Let me heal him," Loki said, words clear and definitive.

Thor looked at him, "Can you control it?"

"Yes," Loki said, though that wasn't entirely true.

His power still riled within his body unchecked and the process of grabbing each piece to pull it under his careful control was difficult when he had spent so long without it there at all. Thor looked him over, seemingly unsure if he should allow Loki to try, knowing that it could be harmful to both Tony and Loki if the spell went wrong, but with a wrench Loki was out of Thor's hold and standing as he pushed one of the staff aside. Thor stood as well and Bruce straightened, he looked at Loki first, then at Thor. The God of Thunder nodded to the doctor and Bruce pulled back slightly as Loki leaned forward over the barely conscious Tony and settled his hand over the bullet wound as Bruce pulled his hand away. Green light filtered from under the blood coated, long fingered hand and Loki closed his eyes in concentration. A moment later Tony took a deep breath and Loki had to catch himself from falling forward, Thor reaching forward to steady him a second later.

Bruce swallowed hard and reached forward to examine the wound as Loki pulled his hand away, only to blink widely, "Th-the wound's gone."

Tony blinked owlishly as he looked around, then locked his eyes on Loki. He moved his shoulder slightly, a hand reaching up to bat Bruce's hands away lightly and touch the wound, pressing in and pinching at the area, "Damn…"

Bruce sighed in relief and Fury relaxed ever so slightly, "Double check the wound," he ordered and Bruce nodded, ordering the staff about to run a few tests and to get a blood transfusion for Tony for the blood he had lost.

Loki leaned back in relief and so he could finally take a moment to focus on getting his magic fully under his control; clenching and unclenching his fists as his breath slowly evened out. They glanced up at the door as two more people stepped in. Fury looked at Clint and Natasha as they walked in, frowning and giving them an expectant look.

"She got away," Clint said.

Natasha answered the other unsaid question, "It was Maria Hill, sir."

"You're kidding me," Fury said, voice bordering on rage.

Natasha and Clint both shook their heads as Tony spoke up, "It was her, I can testify."

Fury shot the man a look before asking, "How did she get away?"

"Through the shadows," Clint said, a dip of slight disbelief in his voice.

Fury just took a breath and looked up at the trickster as he spoke with a hard expression. "That's how Aiden moves, through shadows. He's able to move through them like an underlying world to our own," Loki explained, still breathless, though his hands were no longer moving.

"Oh so now you're willing to talk?" Fury said, crossing his arms.

"Considering Aiden now has the tesseract, yes," Loki said, turning to look at Fury.

"What!?" Fury snapped, his mouth pressing into a thin line, "How in the hell did she get it out of Stark?"

"It was magnetized to the inhibitor inside me. I used that to remove the tesseract just before Maria shot Tony," the god elaborated.

Tony pointed at Loki, "And how did you get the inhibitor out?" he asked around Bruce, who was still examining Tony, trying to make sure his heart was all in one piece.

"I believe I froze it," Loki said, touching the spot unconsciously.

"You believe?" Fury said skeptically.

"I am still learning things about my," he paused, head tilting slightly as he finished tightly, "heritage. I cannot always fully control it nor understand what I am doing when I call upon it."

Fury conceded to that and placed his hands on his hips with a mildly annoyed look, "All right, Bruce, let me know if Stark is in one piece-"

Tony held up a hand, "I think I am," he said with a shrug, "If it means anything."

"Not when you were just shot," Bruce said firmly, making Tony roll his eyes.

Fury sneered slightly at the billionaire as he turned to Thor, Loki and Steve, "Steve with me, we need to see if we can track Maria and the Tesseract. Thor, don't let your brother out of your sight," earning him a dark look from Loki, "Natasha, Clint, search the ship, just in case she didn't get far."

~~~/~~~/~~~

Maria put a hand over her pocket where the tesseract was as her eyes remained nervously locked on Aiden. He had grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows just before Natasha had gotten a dagger in her side, only to drag her through the encompassing darkness and out onto a rooftop. She could only tell that it had to be New York, since her focus was almost solely on him, "Aiden," she started.

"Maria Hill. You have something for me?" He said, stepping menacingly forward.

Maria stood as tall as she could in comparison to him, "I do, but only if you still plan to give me what I want."

"Oh yes, SHIELD will be yours once the world is mine. I swear that to you," Aiden said, taking another step forward and holding out his hand, "Now give it to me."

Part of her wanted to resist, to get more concrete assurances that he would uphold his end of the bargain, but the stronger part washed it out and she pulled out the shard of metal. Aiden looked at her, then took it gently from her outstretched fingers. With a wave of his hand the tesseract unfolded itself, glowing brightly between them as the blue energy churned within it. A mad grin split his face and his head tossed back as a bone-chilling laugh left him, "Oh, he is good! This will make his torture all the more exquisite."

Maria swallowed and she fought not to fidget before him, determined to hold her ground. The tesseract disappeared from his hand and suddenly his hand shot out and grabbed Maria by the back of the neck, "And now, your reward."

"Wha-NO!" Was all she managed as the tip of the scepter touched her chest and she could only gasp as her mind was lost.

Aiden hummed in approval as Maria's eyes clouded over before turning the webbed blue of the tesseract. He released her and patted her hair gently good, "Good, you will help the doctor."

"Yes sir," she said, standing to attention.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"Are you sure we can trust him Thor?" Came Fury's question, eyes locked on the Thunder God.

Natasha was considering the god closely while Clint looked skeptical and slightly pissed. He didn't like loosing his target right out from under him, even if it was via magic. Thor nodded, "Loki's aim in not to harm us. He does what he feels he must to thwart the Chitauri."

"I understand that, but in a battle situation, will he follow orders?" Fury shot back.

"Until the tesseract is in our hands, yes," Thor said.

Fury sighed, he did not look comforted, "Will he help us track Aiden?"

"He has already started the tracking spell. He says that his movement through the shadows is erratic, but he managed to find Maria Hill's trail. He is tracking her," Thor explained.

The doors to the side opened and Bruce and Tony came in. Thor smiled brightly, "You are well, Tony Stark?"

Tony smiled, "Yep, all healed. Can Loki do that with any wound? Cause that would come in handy as hell," he asked, looking to Thor.

Bruce hid a smile as Tony dropped languidly into a seat, slouching into it. Thor turned fully to Tony, "Nearly. 'Tis a complicated and consuming spell. Had anyone but Loki tried, I would not have allowed it. Especially in his state."

Bruce frowned, arms crossing over his chest, "His state?"

Thor nodded, "He's been without his full power for months. His body was re-adjusting to having his power back. He has to accept and control it once more."

Bruce nodded in understanding as Tony piped in, a slight dark note in his voice, "So he could have killed me by healing me?"

"Or, taken the wound onto himself," the towering god clarified.

Tony pursed his lips a little, but didn't say anything further. Fury stepped in, "Bruce, are you running the scan for the Tesseract?"

The doctor nodded, "Yeah, Tony and I started it again before we arrived here. It should be done within a half an hour."

Fury just leaned back, "Get ready people. The moment we have a lock on the Tesseract, Maria, or Aiden, we move."

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki looked down at his hand as he tested his magic, nodding to himself as he felt it beginning to calm within him, settling at last. He was once again in his full armor, minus his helm, and stood just outside the rooms that Veli and Amilia were staying in. He had insisted on making sure they were well. Amilia had hugged him and burst into tears before she had carefully contained herself and calmly expressed her happiness that he was all right. Veli had been, well Veli. A bow and barely contained smile of relief and happiness at seeing his god well again had been more than enough for the stone-faced assassin. He glanced up as he heard Thor behind him and turned calmly to the Asgardian. Thor gave him a warm smile as he said, "Brother."

Loki closed his eyes and sighed in slight exasperation, "Thor, I am-"

"I said it once before and I'll say it again, you are brother to me, so I will continue to call you by it. Even if you choose not to call me as such any longer," the other god said with an air of finality to it.

Loki shook his head begrudgingly, "An old sentimentality."

Thor shrugged and clapped him on the shoulder, "Come, let us go to the lab and see if Tony Stark and Bruce Banner have found anything."

Loki only nodded as he pulled out from under Thor's hand and followed along after him, his thoughts on Tony.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki and Thor stepped into the lab and Loki stiffened at seeing Tony, eyes moving over the human to affirm he was all right. Tony was in a similar position, though his expression was a bit more resigned as he looked up through the computer screen and grumbled slightly. Loki forced the tension from himself as Thor said, "We came to see how the search goes, Tony Stark."

Tony shrugged as his eyes moved to Thor, "Scanning," then the dark eyes tracked over to Loki again, "Yours?"

"The same," Loki said, taking a step forward, ignoring how Thor took a careful step back as if to give them space.

"Peachy," Tony said shortly and looked away.

Loki knew that was that 'I'm still pissed at you, leave me the fuck alone'-tone, but he always did have trouble listening to that tone, "What have you narrowed it down to?" he pushed.

Tony sighed and his lips twisted in a pursed frown as he said, "Well, it's back in New York, again."

"It seems to be where Aiden holds preference," Loki said, moving to the table but keeping it between them.

Loki held out his hand flat over the table and slid it across it, a sprawl of Manhattan Island came up, "That's where Maria is as well," and gestured to the golden trail and slightly pulsing dot.

Tony finally leaned forward, his interest quipped at the display, "Kind of like my holograms."

Loki nodded, "The premise is the same."

Tony tilted his head as he stood and pointed to the moving dot in the center, "And that's her trail…"

"Yes," Loki explained, finger following the gold trail, though he was watching Tony from the corner of his eye.

Tony had circled around the table and stopped to lean against it next to Loki, arms crossed as he leaned towards the god, eyes narrowed, "I'm still fucking pissed off at you."

"I haven't said you shouldn't be," Loki admitted, though giving no ground.

"Good," Tony said, then paused, "Though, can you make sure to keep Amilia on a better leash?"

Loki frowned, and tilted his head, "What did she do?"

"Oh nothing much, just an extreme style 'luncheon'," Tony said with as he shoved his hands in his pockets, fidgeting.

Loki bit back a laugh, though a short snort could not be contained. Tony glared and pointed at him, "Hey, that woman is the evil twin of Athena or the next version of Medusa! I thought she was going to eat my face of or something!"

The god laughed at that, "I can't make any promises, Mr. Stark. If she puts out a hunt for your blood, you'd best make sure JARVIS is at his best."

Tony crossed his arms over his chest again and turned to face Loki fully, glowering at him, "Hey, you are the one that tossed me out on a limb, o' God of Mischief. I think that warrants me some damn good protection."

"And what sort of protection could I give the great and powerful Tony Stark?" Loki said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, everything? I mean you've got, what? Shields, healing, illusions, can't you shape shift too? Don't answer that yet. What about magical drinks? Could you get me a fucking scotch? 'Cause I have been trying for one since you split and I will tell you it is harder tha-" Tony was cut off as Loki's lips met his.

It was a short kiss, nothing special, but it did the trick as Loki pulled away, "I'll talk to her."

Tony blinked a few times, and then smiled, "I really need to stop letting you get in close enough to do that."

"I quite like catching you unawares," Loki said, letting a hand come out to slide around Tony's hips.

Tony only gave a slight hum before he reached up a hand to tangle in Loki's dark hair and pull him back in for another kiss. This one was slow and engaging with a reassuring edge to it that was more than enough to let Loki know that things were salvageable and let Tony know that Loki really did _feel_ for him. It hadn't been a lie.

Both pulled out of the kiss as they heard the sound of the door open. They had just enough time to see Thor's retreating back. Loki swallowed thickly an embarrassed look on his face. He had completely forgotten that Thor was there, he was never so lost in any one thing or person before. But then again Tony always did steal all of his attention very easily. With a soft sigh, Loki began to pull away, "Well that ru-"

"Oh, fuck no," Tony snapped, his expression turning determined as he pulled Loki back into the kiss.

Loki gave a slight sound of surprise at the demanding kiss, trying to pull back. He really could have pulled out of the hold easily, but Tony's persistence was more than enough to prove he didn't need to as any thought of his once-brother flew out the window.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Steve grumbled as he walked through the halls to the labs. Fury had been calling to Tony and Loki to check on the scans. When he had tried Thor, the Asgardian had simply said to let them be for a while. So, him being the 'leader', he had been appointed to go check on things. As he came up on the labs and the doors opened, he began, "Tony, what in th-" And Froze.

Loki and Tony were wrapped around one another, lips locked, Loki's hand beneath Tony's shirt and Tony's hand working the fastenings of the god's armor. The super soldier swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly completely dry as he couldn't seem to look away from the scene. Loki finally pulled back from Tony and the billionaire grumbled a little as he redid a few of the fastenings he had managed to undo, "What'd'ya want Steve?" Tony half slurred out as he licked his lips, darkened eyes looking over at the captain.

Steve managed to pull himself together to stutter out, "W-we need to know what's happening with the scans," and finally pulled his eyes away from the pair.

Loki chuckled lightly as Steve's embarrassment as his hands pulled Tony's shirt back down, fingers trailing along the edge of his jeans appreciatively and looking back to the scans. Tony finished off the last fastening and looked over to the blushing soldier, "Oh, come on, Cap! You haven't seen two people kissing before?"

Steve shot him a sharp look and said, "Could we focus on the fact that you haven't been answering your comms and the scans should be close to done?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "There's an alarm on the scans, it would have let us know."

Steve huffed and glowered at the genius, but he couldn't argue further as Loki cut in, "Tony."

Tony turned back to the trickster god, then paused at the look of realization on his face. Tony followed Loki's line of sight back to the searches and paused, then leaned forward as he said, "Tell me you're seeing this too."

"Yes," Loki said heavily.

Steve frowned and came over to look at the searches. The scan for the tesseract had narrowed down to a small area in Manhattan around Stark Tower and the trail on Loki's search had a very clear path to the same location, "Son of a bitch," Tony snapped, then they were all out of the lab.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"You cannot teleport, brother?" Thor asked with a worried expression as they moved toward the quinjet, Tony having already taken off like a bat out of hell in his battered suit.

"Not that far yet. My magic still settles," Loki explained as Steve looked up at them.

"We takin' you too?" He asked, a little confused.

"Only for a time," Loki told him, grinning a little as a slight blush colored the soldier's cheeks, "I'll teleport as soon as I am in range of the tower."

Steve nodded, then held out his hand that held two com-links, "Here, ear pieces so we can be in touch at all times."

Loki took his easily, already used to such devices. Thor took his with a bewildered expression and frowned at Steve, "What is it?"

Loki paused as Steve explained, "It's a communicator. That way we can talk to each over long distances."

"Are there not easier spells for such?" Thor asked, examining the earpiece with a confused look, holding it dangling out before him as he looked to Loki.

"There are, but none that I can cast at present and none that I would care to craft that would not interfere with Tony's suit," Loki said and snatched the earpiece from Thor's hands.

He deftly turned Thor's head, pulled back his hair and put the earpiece into Thor's ear none too gently. Thor winced a little as the earpiece settled, tapping it slightly, then shrugged. Loki moved passed Steve, who had a slightly surprised look on his face at the interaction, and said, "Now don't make me pull out one of mother's lines."

Thor blinked, then a huge grin spread over his face as he murmured, "He called her mother…" Before he steeled himself, nodded to the Captain, who returned the gesture, and took off just ahead of the Quinjet.


	13. Chapter 12

[Author Note: Thank you so much for the continued support and interest in this story. Many things in life have been the cause of stalemates and stealers of creativity/attention needed for me to write this chapter. This is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue that I am working on ^^ Please enjoy~!]

***Spoiler Alert***: Movie-verse spoilers throughout the story. Not everything though, since I had to make some significant changes to accommodate Loki's own plotting and so on.

**Please see the Prologue for all warnings and a short explanation of how this story came about.**

Thank you to Josh, Rei, Angela and ElrueFaerie for all the help and support! *Sends kisses* All you readers out there! Please comment/review! I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers, its characters, or its backstory. This is not for Profit, I just like to write.]

* * *

Chapter 12

~~~/~~~/~~~

"I've shut down the Arc Reactor, Sir. However, the tesseract is already self-sustaining," JARVIS said.

"All right," Tony said with a small sigh as he moved to hover before the device, looking down at Maria and Selvig, "Hill, Selvig, shut it down."

Maria grinned, "You can't, it's already started!"

"She wants to show us something. A new world!" Selvig said, smiling happily as Maria stood proudly next to him

Tony barely paused as he confirmed their lack of sanity and said, "Okay," then raised his hands, firing off two shots at the machine, only to have both explode in his face.

Maria and Selvig were tossed aside and Tony summersaulted back. He steadied himself as JARVIS said, "The shield is pure energy, sir. It's impenetrable."

"Yeah, got that, plan B. Pull out the Mark 8," he said as he moved to the landing platform, eyes locking on Aiden, who was grinning widely back at him.

"Sir, the Mark 8 isn't-" Jarvis began, but Tony cut him off.

"Then skip the spinning rims, we're on a time table here," The billionaire said in a clipped tone as he kept his eyes on Aiden and strolled into the penthouse, doing everything to keep his pace.

Aiden stepped into the living room of the penthouse as he spoke, "You like the addition I made to your excess of luxury, Mr. Stark?"

"Oh it's charming! Not quite the color I would have picked though so I'm going to have to replace it, but y'know, it's the thought," Tony said with a wave of his hands, striding into the main room.

Aiden's chuckle was a low growl, "Good luck with that."

Tony shrugged, "Eh, we'll figure it out. Greater point at the moment, the whole me threatening you thing."

"Threatening? I would have thought with your suit off you would be appealing to the human in me?" Aiden said with chuckle, examining his scepter.

"Nah, I don't think there's much left of that," Tony said, "At least, not enough to appeal to. I'd rather talk about you pissing off the Avengers," and poured himself a drink.

Aiden's face darkened at the first comment, then he laughed, "The Avengers? There is little for me to fear, Stark."

"Well, other than the fact that we decimated the, 400 was it? That you had in the underground?" The engineer pointed out.

"The army I bring now is far more vast than that little spat," The champion boasted.

"And the Hulk's breath-taking anger management issues will still smash them to nothing like before," Tony said confidently before continuing, "I mean, let's do a head count here: my genius self and the Hulk; two demi-gods, one with a stunning command of lightening, the other a Merlin a thousand times more awesome; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a couple of master assassins, and YOU, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them," He recriminated for the man before him.

Aiden chuckled low as unearthly blue eyes looked out over the city though the floor to ceiling windows as he turned away from Tony. Tony took that small window of opportunity to slide on two new bracelets that were keyed for the Mark 8 to locate and attach to him as needed. He moved around the bar with his drink, sipping the alcohol again, "And I can assure you, every last one of them is after your head for multiple reasons."

"Oh, but I doubt they'll be too busy with the army," Aiden chimed in as he turned back to Tony, "They'll be too busy fighting you."

Tony didn't have time to react as Aiden's scepter touched his chest, a distinct clink sounding as it hit his reactor... and did nothing.

Aiden frowned in confusion, blue eyes glaring up at Tony, "That's never happened before..."

"Well, you know, performance issues can come on pretty quickly-" Tony started, but was stopped as a hand came up to clutch his face.

Aiden snarled and dug his nails into Tony's jaw before dragging him to the window, "Deploy! JARVIS, deploy!" Tony cried as his feet scratched across the ground.

Before the Mark 8 could deploy Tony was sent flying out the window. Free falling was really a sensation that he had never cared to feel without the aide of his suit.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Loki had teleported as soon as the quinjet was in range and appeared on the penthouse balcony to see Tony sailing out of the window. That had certainly not been what he was expecting. How many times would he have to save the human's life in a day? He watched as the Mark 8 flew out the window after Tony, but he wouldn't chance it. With a show of green energy around his right hand he cast a spell to slow the human's fall. He leaned over the glass railing and sighed in relief as a fully suited Tony was heading back up to him. Loki's attention turned to Aiden who was now stalking across the balcony towards him. The god's expression pinched for a moment as he watched the murder that lit in Aiden's eyes, "Well, if it isn't the two liars together again! So wonderful that I will be able to torment one with the other," Aiden said with a maniacal laugh, "But you," he pointed to Loki, "Your pain will know no end."

"Not helping your case, Aiden," Tony said, hands rising as he aimed at the champion.

There was a rumble through the building as they looked over to see the tesseract activate. A beam of blue shot into the sky and within moments the sky opened to the black of space. "No…" Loki said softly as the Chitauri forces began to cascade out through the portal.

Tony swallowed as the screen of his suit shifted and he murmured, "Right, army," before taking off after the invading forces.

Loki looked to Aiden with a disbelieving look, "What have you done?"

"What you could not," Aiden said definitively.

"Gonna need help here people!" Tony's voice rang through his earpiece.

Loki pursed his lips and was about to raise his daggers when a foot sent Aiden off the balcony and through the penthouse windows. Loki paused, then couldn't help a little smile as he looked up at Thor as he landed, "You enjoyed that too much," he said, taking in the grin that was wide across the warrior's face.

"Life's little pleasures, brother. Now go aide Tony Stark," Thor said as he hefted his hammer.

Loki nodded and was gone in a twist of black smoke.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony swerved and twisted as his bombs went off, mouth set in a thin line as JARVIS tracked and counted each one. He couldn't help the upward tilt that lifted his lips into something close to a grin when he heard a familiar voice, "Need some help?"

"Does it come with the promise of make-up sex after we flatten these guys?" Tony asked.

The laughter from Loki just made Tony's grin wider as the god answered, "This time? Yes."

"Ooh, incentive," He said, before he banked and dove again.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Maria groaned softly as she awoke and jerked, wincing at the pain in her head before she sat up slowly and gasped in dismay as she looked up. She watched as the Chitauri moved in from the portal and she swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. This was her fault; she had brought him the tesseract. All she had been able to think of was the power. The need for it had burned through her like a wildfire, whispering and driving her until it was all she thought about and she had given in. With a pained groan she shifted and managed to sit up, looking over the edge of the building and out across the skyline, swallowing hard again as she watched the Chitauri move across the sky.

Below her, Thor and Aiden were duking it out with hammer and scepter; Aiden's face twisted in rage and Thor's set in determination. She ducked down reflexively as she saw the quinjet arrive and Thor dodged out of the way as they fired shots at Aiden. A shot off the champion's scepter and Maria winced as the quinjet fell. However, it opened a shot for Thor as he sent Aiden sprawling, scepter flying from his hand. Aiden tried to run after it, but Thor was quick to make sure he couldn't by placing himself between the champion and his weapon. The champion grinned as he laughed and a hand reached for a short sword at his side. It had been hidden away by the folds of his robes nicely. With a swallow Maria turned back to look at the tesseract and pulled out her gun. She stood and aimed carefully, mouth set, when Selvig stopped her, "Don't bother, the shield is impenetrable."

Maria closed her eyes for a moment before she looked over at Selvig, who was clutching his side in pain and moving sluggishly, "Then what the hell am I supposed to do? Stand here and watch it happen?"

Selvig shook his head, taking careful breaths, broken ribs probably, and said, "Aiden's scepter. Who knows how, but I put in a fail safe."

Maria staggered over to him and grasped his arm, "You're positive? Absolutely?"

Selvig nodded around a wince as she gripped his arm, "Yes."

She swallowed hard and released his arm as she turned and headed for the ladder. Selvig frowned, "Where are you going?"

"To get the scepter," she snapped over her shoulder.

She made her way off the roof and crept through the penthouse, trying to make sure neither Thor, and especially Aiden, saw her. She ducked down as she came to the balcony door and paused as Aiden roared at Thor, making the God of Thunder duck under a blow before sending his hammer at Aiden's side, only to have to call it back as the strangely nimble Chitauri champion dodged it. With a hard swallow she pulled open the door once she saw Aiden was focused on Thor again, taking careful steps she reached the scepter and took it up gently and soundlessly. She shuddered as it thrummed in her hand and she glanced up again before creeping back into the penthouse.

The ex-agent held it close to her chest, but couldn't help glancing back at Aiden's dismay and enraged roar that made the windows rumble and vibrate. She caught sight of Thor flying off the rooftop and into a grouping of Chitauri, but Aiden's eyes were locked on her. She swallowed hard, eyes widening, before she turned to try and race back to the roof. She barely made it across the main room when a blast of magic threw her against the wall and to the floor and rolling onto her back. She groaned, still gripping the scepter and opened blurry eyes to look up at the disappointed looking Aiden.

"I would have given you so much, and you threw it all away so easily," he said with a shake of his head.

Maria pursed her lips and shook her head, "Illusions."

Aiden sneered and then his short sword was through her right lung. She looked up at him with a choked cry and wide eyes, blinking rapidly as he smirked down at her. She coughed slightly, blood on her lips and that's when she felt it. The scepter, in that moment it was an extension of her and a smile tipped her lips, making Aiden frown again as she shifted the scepter to point at his chest and say, "I see..." and told it to fire.

Aiden sailed out of the penthouse and then Maria's eyes faded with the sword still through her chest.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Tony ducked and dodged a blast from one of the Chitauri, a ball of green flame flying in to send the two into the side of the building, "Hey, Loki, babe. Can we at least try to keep them out of the buildings?"

A heavy, annoyed sigh came back to him, "I suppose if you insist…"

"Yeah, kind of do. Indulge me?" Tony said with a small shake of his head.

"I will do my best," came the calm answer as another was taken down into an empty alley.

Tony let a little curl grow at the edge of his lips before veering off to the side and plowing through a group of chariots. What he didn't expect was the second group of chariots that collided with the one he was now blasting apart. The leader of the second group twisted its vehicle to aim right for Tony, screaming as it fired. The hero grit his teeth and with a blast of his lasers, the engine of the chariot he had grabbed hold of cut out and he used the downward momentum to dropped down sharply under the shots. As he fell he watched the leader of the second group twist his chariot again, aiming for Tony once more and the billionaire moved to dodge out of the way, only to realize there was a building rooftop coming toward him a lot faster than he had anticipated. Next thing he knew there was the sound of an explosion, muffled only slightly by the green shield that had been thrown up as Loki appeared at his side and he slowed abruptly before he and the god tumbled onto a rooftop. Loki shot up with a sharp glare and snapped, "Dammit, Stark! Keep yourself intact!"

"Hey, I had everything perfectly under control! The suit would have more than accounted for that fall and explosion," Tony shot back, his mask opening as he glowered at Loki, "I'm perfectly capable of keeping myself in one piece."

"You certainly don't make a very good display of it," the trickster god countered.

"Says the guy that spent that last several months lying to me and –"

Tony was cut off by the sound of Natasha's chuckling in their earpieces, "Really boys, a lover's spat is going to have to wait."

"Hey, Nat, I wanted to hear this!" Clint complained, "It's perfect to hang over his head late-"

"Could we please focus on the army of Chitauri pouring in from outer space?!" Steve cut in, his voice sharp and authoritative.

Loki and Tony shared a glance and both reached up to turn off their communicators. Tony beat Loki to talking first though, "I've been taking damn good care of myself long before you ever came, Loki. I don't need a shield. I made my own."

Loki's lips pursed into a thin line, "I've spent the better part of several months working to make sure this never had to be your fight, Tony."

"I get that. You lied and twisted your way-" he paused as he watched Loki's teeth clench as he looked away, "No, I am not going to let it go just like that and you fucking know it. How much of you did I really have for all those months anyway?" Tony ground out, teeth clenched as he watched Loki closely.

There was a small huff before Loki looked at Tony again and said, "Other than the continued control of the desire to cause a certain amount of mayhem and confusion… All you had was very much _me._"

Tony leaned back a little at that, considering Loki for a moment as he drank that statement in. However, a series of shrill cries reminded them that there was an army of aliens around them. The two barely glanced at one another before they each turned opposite one another to deftly take out the gnarling creatures that had gathered around them. A few moments later, when those in the immediate area were taken care of, the two turned back to each. A light grin on each of their faces as Loki said, "I really can't wait to get you out of that armor."

Tony's grin widened, "Feeling's mutual."

~~~/~~~/~~~

As the first leviathan carriers of Chitauri warriors dove in through the portal, Loki and Tony had taken to dealing with the first one while the second had been taken by the Hulk. The green giant proceeding to make an interesting mush out of the creature's face before taking to the buildings and tearing apart the Chitauri that had popped off the creature's backs and landed there.

They took a moment to regroup as the Captain began shouting orders and they each separated to carry out their assigned duties; Thor was using his lightening in an admittedly smart fashion to bottleneck the portal and take care of two more carriers while Tony and Loki had just finished their own work on the original carrier, sending it crash-landing into the street.

It wasn't long before Loki found himself beside Thor and the Hulk on another carrier. The aforementioned two smashing their way along the spine as Loki drove lances of fire into the creature, often melting off armor and pieces that still held Chitauri warriors to its sides.

With a great swing of Thor's hammer and a bolt of lightening, the carrier creature wailed and twisted before it crashed into a building and skidding to a hall.

They paused for a moment as they took in the destruction wrought, only for the Hulk, in all his continued anger, to send a punch to the side where both Thor and Loki stood. Thor took the brunt, flying through the nearest wall, while the fist simply went through Loki with a light hum. The Hulk frowned, his lips curling downward and eyes narrowing as he looked around when the illusion faded all together. His eyes finally caught the god standing on the other side of him with a light, playful smile on his lips.

The Hulk glowered at the god, making as if to go after him, but Loki just shrugged noncommittally and disappeared in a twisted of black smoke. The Hulk grunted in annoyance, vowing to get the puny god next they met.

Natasha had been the one to volunteer to go up to the top of Stark Tower and see what the hell they could find out about the portal to try and close it. The wear on each of them was starting to show (less so on the two gods for obvious reasons) and they needed an alternative. The assassin was riding her way through the buildings in an attempt to control one of the Chitauri chariots when a familiar and unpleasant champion appeared hot on her tail, "Um, little help here," Natasha said as she clumsily swerved the chariot about.

"Nat, what are you doing?" Clint asked as he pulled out an arrow and aimed carefully.

"What does it look, Barton? A friendly game of tag?" She snapped, sharply.

"Heh, you've been around Stark too much," The archer said with a grin as he murmured, "Got ya…" And let the arrow fly.

The arrow flew towards its target with terrifying speed and accuracy. Only to be caught in one of the pale skinned hands. Glowing eyes looked up at Clint, a smug grin on his lips, before the arrowhead blipped once at him and exploded. Clint gave a light chuckle as Aiden flew and landed on a nearby rooftop with a roll. The Champion stood with a resounding scream at Clint on his perch, blue sparks of lighting around his fists, when an odd shadow fell over him.

Aiden frowned and looked to his right in confusion, there stood the Hulk, in all his frowning, raging glory, green eyes fixed on Aiden. The champion's eyes widened and he raised a hand of blue flame to try to blast the monster with, but he was too slow. Suddenly the Hulk had him in one of his giant fists and was slamming him about like a ragdoll, his head spinning and limbs unable to do anything but follow the movements of his body as it met every surface within arm's reach.

With a rumbling roar that dwarfed his own, the Hulk sent him flying at the nearest target, which happened to be Stark Tower, and through the windows. He slammed into the far wall of Tony's penthouse and slumped to the floor, unconscious behind the fallen Maria Hill.

~~~/~~~/~~~

Natasha landed with a roll on the roof of Stark Tower before spotting Selvig and dodging over to the older man and helped him to his feet, "Dr. Selvig!"

The struggling man looked up at her and seemed to sigh in relief, "Maria! She went to get the scepter!"

"The scepter? What's the scepter got to do with anything?" Natasha asked with a frown, helping the injured man into a better position.

Selvig explained the fail-safe that involved the scepter and Natasha mentally breathed a sigh of relief at the knowledge, "I'll go down and see what happened. Stay here."

Selvig nodded, grasping his broken ribs with a grimace and settling back against the ledge. Natasha moved down to the main penthouse and was about to race in when she froze instead. There lay Aiden, seemingly unconscious as he lay face down in the rubble of his impact against the wall where the Hulk had chucked him. She swallowed and looked around cautiously, bright eyes scanning the penthouse until they landed on Maria Hill's body. She grimaced slightly at the sight of the short sword through her chest and the blood that pooled beneath her. It was the glow of the scepter next to the ex-agent that made her jaw clench and eyes harden.

She glanced at Aiden again and with slow, but quick steps she moved around the once-human, eyes darting between the two bodies. She carefully reached down and gripped the scepter, picking it up with a light tipping of metal, before creeping back around Aiden. She didn't linger to see if Aiden was alive, darting out of the penthouse and back to the roof as she gripped the scepter to her chest.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"Can anyone hear me? I can close it!" Natasha's voice came through the communicator.

"Do it!" Steve called immediately, but Tony cut in.

"Not yet!" He called as he flew after the nuclear bomb that was heading straight for the center of Manhattan, "I got a nuke coming in and I think I know just where to put it."

Loki's eyes widened as he looked over at his brother, a base instinct from their days before. It was barely a glance, but Thor did not hesitate to give that small nod that told Loki to go. The trickster god was gone without a second thought from the grouping of Chitauri soldiers that had encircled them, re-appearing on the balcony of Tony Stark's penthouse, eyes locked on Tony as he headed straight for the portal.

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip," Steve said grimly, mouth set in a thin line.

Tony chose to ignore the obvious comment as he murmured to JARVIS, "Save the rest for the turn, J."

With a determined look, dark brown eyes settled on the fast approaching Stark Tower when JARVIS spoke solemnly, "Should I open a private line to Loki, sir?"

A slight smile tipped at his lips as he said, "Why not."

The line blipped and Loki said calmly, though it was laced with something Tony didn't quite give a damn about figuring out at the moment, "Tony."

"Loki," he said in return, "Just thought I might need to have you tack one more rain check onto my list."

"I think I can let this one slide for the moment," Loki said softly, a forced hint of humor in his voice.

Tony grit his teeth as he pushed the trajectory of the missile up, chest plate scrapping off the edge of the roof before he was staring at the blackened portal above him, "Don't know how much that will count for… You know, it'd be nice to say it just once before I go meet-"

"Tony." Loki said with a dark note.

"-whoever the hell's up there. I mean, can-"

"STARK!" Loki snarled into the communicator, "You say one more word and I swear I'll come after your pathetic ass even if it means I have to break into the Halls of Valhalla or find Hel and bargain for your fate. I will d-"

Tony kept silent as the god raged at him, eyes locked on the sky above as he and the bomb ascended through the portal and the connection to Loki went dead. He blinked rapidly as the world shifted instantly and he watched as his systems began shutting down and his mouth formed words he would never admit to wanting to say. He could only stare at the huge mother ship as he released the missile and began to fall, or float back, which he wasn't sure, as the missile continued forward. As the nuke hit he let his eyes slide closed, not giving a damn about the tears that he held there as he lost consciousness.

~~~/~~~/~~~

The sounds of relief that resounded through the communicators between each of the Avengers as Tony's Iron Man suit cleared the closing portal at the last second was welcome to all of their ears. Loki's heart dropped out of his throat as he closed his eyes for a moment and he forced down the unadulterated rage he had felt towards the fates for taking Tony from him. However, they had spared him this time and Loki let a tiny prayer of gratitude fall from his lips to them.

"He isn't slowing down," came Thor's clipped words and Loki frowned.

The god dodged forward to see the limp form of his lover still descending at breakneck speed and he was about to send a careful spell to slow him, when from his left came a giant, green, screaming ape. The Hulk caught Tony and slid down the side of one of the buildings then landed in a graceless heap on the street. Loki held his breath as he held a hand to his earpiece and waited. The seconds ticked by in his head and he could hear each of them giving up without them saying a word, when a sudden roar came from the Hulk and a gasping yell, followed by a familiar 'What the hell!?', was heard.

The relief came again as Loki finally fully relaxed at hearing Tony babbling on, something about shwarma and taking a break. A welcome thought, but not yet. Turning, Loki's gaze landed on the form of Aiden, who was just beginning to move about.

With purposeful steps Loki moved back into the penthouse, daggers ready and expression dark, "Aiden."

The altered human moved to lean against the wall he had destroyed, "This world… has no sense of justice."

"The Fates are kind to no one," Loki countered, flipping one of his daggers over.

"Says the one that made me what I am," Aiden snarled, making Loki pause.

The god considered Aiden for a moment, before confirming what he knew with a simple, "Yes."

Aiden's expression changed almost instantly; as if Loki giving the confirmation was the greatest relief he had ever come across, "I want to be with them," he said desperately.

For the moment the blue of his eyes had receded. They no longer glowed brightly, edging on otherworldly. Right then they were normal, sky blue eyes, "Chelsea and Melony. Please let me see them again…"

"You accept death then?" Loki asked as he moved to kneel before Aiden.

"Yes, dear god, yes, please," Aiden murmured, tears brimming at his eyes as a slight smile touched his lips at the very thought.

Loki nodded and without pause the dagger struck straight into his heart. Aiden gasped and looked up, "That's not going to kill me…" he choked out.

"I know," Loki said calmly.

There was a movement of Loki's hand and suddenly Aiden cried out as a fire ignited within him and a moment later nothing but a thin coil of smoke came from an empty chest cavity. Aiden's body slumped and sightless blue eyes looked up, beyond Loki, with a slight smile tilting his lips upward still. Loki took back his dagger and looked up as he heard a light step to find Natasha watching him carefully. It was a silent exchange, but meaningful. Without another word she turned and moved back up to the roof, her approval of the action given.

Loki moved over to the shattered windows, peering out of them as the rest of the Avengers filtered into the penthouse. Steve stopped and looked around, "Where's… oh lord…" He murmured as he saw Aiden, a burnt hole in his chest.

Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the anger he saw rise in Steve's eyes, "Did you have to burn out his HEART?"

"Well, when I stabbed him in the heart, he didn't die. So yes," The god said simply, making Steve wince slightly.

Thor was the one to quietly place a hand on Steve shoulder, calming him, while Tony moved over Loki. He glanced at Aiden and sighed, "You know, I will have to deal with that."

"Considering the stunt you just pulled? I'd call us even," Loki said with a tiny quirk of his lips.

~~~/~~~/~~~

"You don't have to go," said a blank faced Tony as they parked at Central Park.

The last few days had been a mix of cleaning up the mess and how long could Tony distract Fury and Thor from wanting to nab Loki. It was actually Loki who had ended it though. The trickster god now sat next to Tony a small smile on his face, "Yes, I do Tony."

"Tell me why again? Cause it's still not making any sense," Tony said, looking over at Loki with a tightly clenched jaw.

Loki gave a small, exasperated sigh, "Odin will hunt me till he finds me. I go now and it means I can at least start to talk my way out of a millennia of imprisonment."

"Nope, don't like it," and shifted the car into gear.

Loki's hand shot down, holding the car in neutral, "And how would you like it if I never saw you because I was always on the run? I can't run with you, Tony. There are things that I can do, places I can go that you will never be able to tread because of your mortality," Loki said gravely, "This way, I can get out of it. This way there's a chance of me coming back in a much more permanent way."

Tony stared at the console of the car before him as his lips twisted together and his jaw clenched and unclenched almost rhythmically. Dark brown eyes looked up at him, mistrust and the expectation of betrayal in his eyes. Loki's expression softened a little more, "I'm asking you trust me, Tony Stark."

Tony huffed a little, "You do realize how ironic that statement is coming from the God of Lies."

Loki raised an eyebrow, "I better than you," he said in a slightly low voice.

Tony took a slow breath, but finally nodded, "All right, I don't really have a choice anyway."

Loki nodded and the two moved to get out of the car as the others pulled up, an armored van holding the tesseract. Thor moved over to this brother, a grim expression on his face and Loki stared at him blankly. The older god took a moment before saying, "I will fight for you."

"You don't need to Thor. I can fight my own battles," he said sharply, making Thor wince.

Thor shook his head and a small smile tipped his lips, "I know that all too well, brother."

Loki rolled his eyes in annoyance and looked away, sharp green eyes shining with distaste. Thor turned and took up the device that now held the tesseract in it and then moved to the open space by the lake, needing the clear area for the activation. Thor held up one end of the teleport to Loki and the trickster god stared down at it for a moment. Green eyes then darted to the stoic looking Tony for a moment, then back to Thor. Thor gave him a sympathetic look, "You know I would go back without you if I could."

Loki's resisted the snarling curl of his lip and took the handle. Thor twisted his end and in a show of twisting blue light the two gods were transported back to Asgard.

Tony stood where he was, watching the spot for a moment when he felt someone step up beside him. He glanced over to find Bruce Banner there with a nervous smile on his face, "So, how many floors of R&D did you have?"

The billionaire stared at him for a moment and it clicked what Bruce was doing. With a disarming smile Tony turned and brought an arm around Bruce's shoulders, "Ten of them. Why don't I give you a tour?"

Bruce nodded quickly, his smile widening and he moved with the billionaire. The scientists waved to the rest of the Avengers as they climbed into the car, Tony not acknowledging that slight sadness that drew Steve's eyebrows up, he didn't need it. The assassins' gave their curt waves as they went their own way as well, but they were smart enough to keep any pitying they may have to themselves as they each went their own way.


End file.
